Dynamic current distribution control apparatus and method for wafer electroplating

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus for plating a metal onto a work piece are described. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a plating chamber, a substrate holder, an anode chamber housing an anode, an ionically resistive ionically permeable element positioned between a substrate and the anode chamber during electroplating, an auxiliary cathode located between the anode and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element, and an insulating shield with an opening in its central region. The insulating shield may be movable with respect to the ionically resistive ionically permeable element to vary a distance between the shield and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element during electroplating.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/306,527, titled “DYNAMIC CURRENT DISTRIBUTION CONTROLAPPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WAFER ELECTROPLATING”, and filed Nov. 29, 2011,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety and for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

One process step used in copper damascene processing for the fabricationof integrated circuits is the formation of a “seed-” or “strike-” layer,which is then used as a base layer onto which copper is electroplated(electrofill). The seed layer carries the electrical plating currentfrom the edge region of the wafer substrate (where electrical contact ismade) to all trench and via structures located across the wafersubstrate surface. The seed film is typically a thin conductive copperlayer. It is separated from an insulating silicon dioxide or otherdielectric by a barrier layer. The use of thin seed layers (which mayalso act simultaneously as copper diffusion barrier layers) which areeither alloys of copper or other metals, such as ruthenium or tantalum,has also been investigated. The seed layer deposition process desirablyyields a layer which has good overall adhesion, good step coverage (moreparticularly, conformal/continuous amounts of metal deposited onto theside-walls of an embedded structure), and minimal closure or “necking”of the top of the embedded feature.

To effectively plate a large surface area, a plating tooling makeselectrical contact to the conductive seed layer in the edge region ofthe wafer substrate. There is generally no direct contact made to thecentral region of the wafer substrate. Thus, for highly resistive seedlayers, the potential at the edge of the seed layer is significantlygreater than at the central region of the seed layer, which is referredto as the “terminal effect”. Without appropriate means of resistance andvoltage compensation, this large edge-to-center voltage drop leads to anon-uniform plating thickness distribution, primarily characterized bythicker plating at the wafer substrate edge. This non-uniform platingthickness will be even more pronounced as the industry transitions from300 mm wafers to 450 mm wafers.

SUMMARY

Methods, apparatus, and systems for plating metals are provided.According to various implementations, a plating apparatus may include achamber housing a movable anode chamber or a movable shield. The movableanode chamber or the movable shield may be used to mitigate the terminaleffect when an electroplating process begins. As the electroplatingprocess proceeds, the movable anode chamber or the movable shield may bemoved away from the substrate such that a uniform current density may beobtained across the face of the substrate.

According to one implementation, an apparatus includes a platingchamber, a substrate holder, an ionically resistive ionically permeableelement, and an anode chamber housing an anode. The plating chamber isconfigured to contain an electrolyte while electroplating metal onto asubstrate. The substrate holder is configured to hold the substrate andhas one or more electrical power contacts arranged to contact an edge ofthe substrate and to provide electrical current to the substrate duringelectroplating. The ionically resistive ionically permeable element ispositioned between the substrate and the anode chamber duringelectroplating. The ionically resistive ionically permeable element hasa flat surface that is substantially parallel to and separated from aplating face of the substrate. The anode chamber is movable with respectto the ionically resistive ionically permeable element to vary adistance between the anode chamber and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element during electroplating. The anode chamber includes aninsulating shield oriented between the anode and the ionically resistiveionically permeable element, with an opening in a central region of theinsulating shield.

According to another implementation, an apparatus includes a platingchamber, a substrate holder, an ionically resistive ionically permeableelement, an auxiliary cathode and an insulating shield. The platingchamber is configured to contain an electrolyte and an anode whileelectroplating metal onto a substrate. The substrate holder isconfigured to hold the substrate such that a plating face of thesubstrate is positioned at a distance from the anode duringelectroplating. The substrate holder has one or more electrical powercontacts arranged to contact an edge of the substrate and to provideelectrical current to the substrate during electroplating. The ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element is positioned between thesubstrate and the anode. In operation, the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element has a flat surface that is substantially parallel toand separated from the plating face of the substrate. The insulatingshield is positioned between the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement and the anode. The auxiliary cathode is positioned between theanode and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element. Theinsulating shield is movable with respect to the ionically resistiveionically permeable element to vary a distance between the disks and theionically resistive ionically permeable element during electroplating.The insulating shield includes an opening in the central region of theshield. Certain embodiments of the invention further include a secondaryauxiliary cathode located in substantially the same plane as thesubstrate, peripherally oriented around the perimeter of the platingchamber.

According to another implementation, a method includes holding asubstrate having a conductive seed and/or barrier layer disposed on itssurface in a substrate holder of an apparatus. The apparatus includes aplating chamber and an anode chamber housing an anode, the platingchamber containing the anode chamber. The anode chamber includes aninsulating shield oriented between the anode and an ionically resistiveionically permeable element, with an opening in a central region of theinsulating shield. The surface of the substrate is immersed in anelectrolyte solution and proximate the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element positioned between the surface and the anode chamber.The ionically resistive ionically permeable element has a flat surfacethat is parallel to and separated from the surface of the substrate. Acurrent is supplied to the substrate to plate a metal layer onto theseed and/or barrier layer. The anode chamber is moved from a firstposition to a second position, the second position being located adistance further away from the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement than the first position.

According to another implementation, a non-transitory computermachine-readable medium includes program instructions for control of anapparatus. The program instructions include code for holding a substratehaving a conductive seed and/or barrier layer disposed on its surface ina substrate holder of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a platingchamber and an anode chamber housing an anode, the plating chambercontaining the anode chamber. The anode chamber includes an insulatingshield oriented between the anode and an ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element, with an opening in a central region of the insulatingshield. The surface of the substrate is immersed in an electrolytesolution and proximate the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement positioned between the surface and the anode chamber. Theionically resistive ionically permeable element has a flat surface thatis parallel to and separated from the surface of the substrate. Acurrent is supplied to the substrate to plate a metal layer onto theseed and/or barrier layer. The anode chamber is moved from a firstposition to a second position, the second position being located adistance further away from the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement than the first position.

These and other aspects of implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a cross-sectional schematic diagramof an electroplating apparatus with a movable anode chamber being at oneposition.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a cross-sectional schematic diagram of anelectroplating apparatus with a movable anode chamber being at anotherposition.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show examples of a cross-sectional schematic diagram ofan electroplating chamber with a movable shield being at one position.

FIGS. 3C-3F are cross-sectional schematic views emphasizing differentcomponents of a representative electroplating apparatus in accordancewith embodiments presented herein.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show examples of isometric projections of a movableshield.

FIGS. 5 and 6A-6B show examples of flow diagrams illustrating processesfor plating a metal onto a wafer substrate.

FIGS. 7-10 show examples of numerical simulations of the current densityversus the radial position on a wafer for different electroplatingchamber configurations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific implementationsare set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of thedisclosed methods and apparatus. However, as will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art, the disclosed methods and apparatus may bepracticed without these specific details or by using alternate elementsor processes. In other instances well-known processes, procedures, andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarilyobscure aspects of the disclosed methods and apparatus.

In this application, the terms “semiconductor wafer,” “wafer,”“substrate,” “wafer substrate,” and “partially fabricated integratedcircuit” are used interchangeably. One of ordinary skill in the artwould understand that these terms can refer to a silicon wafer duringany of many stages of integrated circuit fabrication thereon. Thefollowing detailed description assumes the disclosed implementations areimplemented on a wafer substrate. However, the disclosed implementationsare not so limited. The work piece may be of various shapes, sizes, andmaterials. In addition to semiconductor wafers, other work pieces thatmay take advantage of the disclosed implementations include variousarticles such as printed circuit boards and the like.

Further, in this application, the terms “plating solution,” “platingbath,” “bath,” “electrolyte solution,” and “electrolyte” are usedinterchangeably. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatthese terms can refer to a solution containing metal ions and possiblyother additives for plating or electroplating a metal onto a work piece.

Implementations disclosed herein are related to configurations of andmethods of using plating tool hardware for control of the electroplatingcurrent distribution on a wafer substrate having a high sheet resistancesurface. Implementations disclosed herein are applicable to, forexample, a 450 millimeter (mm) wafer which is seeded with a thin andresistive seed layer, such as a 5 nanometer (nm) thick copper seed layerhaving an about 50 Ohms per square (Ohms/square) sheet resistance. Oneattribute of the disclosed implementations is the ability to achieve auniform thickness distribution both while plating a metal onto a thinresistive seed layer and during deposition onto a thick metal film.

Achieving a uniform current density across a 450 mm wafer substrate ischallenging during the initial stages of damascene copperelectroplating. This challenge is generated by the “terminal effect”which refers to the Ohmic resistance drop between a point at whichcontact is made to a wafer substrate (e.g., generally the edge of thewafer substrate) and the location of plating on the wafer substratesurface. The larger the distances from the contact point, the larger thevoltage drop through the seed layer, with lower voltages resulting inslower plating. In the case of 450 mm wafers, the terminal effect isincreased compared to, for example, 300 mm wafers, due to the increaseddistance between the wafer edge where electrical contact is made to aseed layer and the center of the wafer. The terminal effect may befurther increased because the seed layer thickness for a 450 mm wafer isexpected to decrease to about 5 nm, with a sheet resistance of about 50Ohms/square. These two factors will result in a large voltage dropbetween the wafer edge and the wafer center and correspondinglydifferent plating rates at the wafer edge and the wafer center.

Further complicating the problem for the thickness control of the platedmetal is that as metal is plated onto a seed layer, the plated metal mayincrease the conductivity of the layer (i.e., the plated metal on theseed layer) by up to about 1000 times (1000×). Thus, the terminal effectdecreases while plating is being performed because of the metal layerthat is being plated yields a more uniform voltage across the wafer.This introduces the need for the electroplating hardware to produce auniform plated metal thickness profile in the case of both large (e.g.,at the beginning of an electroplating process) and small (e.g., aftermetal has been plated onto the seed layer) edge to center voltagedecrease from the wafer edge to the wafer center.

Controlling the electroplating current distribution on wafer substrateshaving high sheet resistance surfaces can be performed using manydifferent techniques. First, an electroplating chamber that incorporatesan ionically resistive element having electrolyte-permeable pores orholes, where the element resides in close proximity of the wafersubstrate, may aid in mitigating the terminal effect. Some of theionically resistive ionically permeable elements described herein maypresent a uniform current density in the proximity of the wafersubstrate and therefore serve as virtual anodes. Accordingly, someconfigurations of an ionically resistive ionically permeable element mayalso be referred to as a high-resistance virtual anode (HRVA).

HRVAs are effective in obtaining uniformity improvement both duringplating on thin seed layers and on thick films. In the case of platingon 450 mm wafers with very thin seed layers, however, the HRVAresistance may be increased dramatically to yield a uniform thicknessdistribution. This may require hundreds of volts of power and may causesignificant plating solution heating during the later portions ofplating when a high current is used.

Second, an electroplating chamber that incorporates dynamic shields andbladders may aid in mitigating the terminal effect. Dynamic shields canselectively decrease the current density near the wafer substrate edgewhen the seed layer is thin and then increase the current density acrossthe face of the wafer substrate to allow uniform plating on thickermetal films. Dynamic shields may be difficult to use in small platingcells, however. Further, under some conditions dynamic shields mayconcentrate current near the edge of the shield opening. The shield mayalso be referred to as a dynamic shield, movable shield or insulatingshield.

Third, an electroplating chamber that incorporates auxiliary cathodesmay aid in mitigating the terminal effect. An auxiliary cathode placedbetween the anode and the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement, may be useful in shaping the current distribution from theanode. Furthermore, a secondary auxiliary cathode located insubstantially the same plane as the substrate and positioned around theouter perimeter of the electroplating chamber may be useful in divertingcurrent from the wafer substrate edge. This effect, however, may notextend into more central regions of a wafer substrate. Auxiliarycathodes which are deeper in the plating chamber can divert current fromthe bulk of the wafer substrate to a greater degree. As the waferdiameter increases to 450 mm, however, it may become ineffective todivert current from the bulk of the wafer to an auxiliary cathode ashigh currents may be required. Further, placing auxiliary cathodesdirectly below the face of a wafer substrate may be ineffective due tothe very high currents required to selectively divert current from thewafer substrate edge.

Fourth, an electroplating chamber that incorporates multiple anodes mayaid in mitigating the terminal effect. Concentric anodes can be used toselectively direct current to specific radial positions on a wafersubstrate. This hardware configuration may suffer from drawbacks,however. For example, numerous power supplies may be needed, anodeerosion may vary across the wafer substrate making maintenance morefrequent, sharp transitions in the current on the wafer substrate maytend to occur at points of transition from one anode to another, andcontrol of the thickness profile on the outer portion of the wafersubstrate where terminal effect is the largest may be poor.

Apparatus

All of the above-described techniques may be used to aid in mitigatingthe terminal effect. Further, in many cases, the above-describedtechniques can be combined with one another and with other techniques toaid in mitigating the terminal effect. For example, in someimplementations, an electroplating apparatus may include three featuresto mitigate the terminal effect. The first feature may be an auxiliarycathode configured to shape the current distribution from the anode andcontrol the current density at the outer perimeter of the wafersubstrate. The second feature may be an ionically conductive ionicallyresistive element. The third feature may be a movable anode chamber or amovable shield.

For example, a movable anode chamber may include an upwardly sloped topportion made of an insulating material such as plastic, with this topportion including a small opening (e.g., about 200 mm in diameter for a450 mm wafer), as further described herein. The movable anode chambermay move during plating from a position close to the wafer substratewhen the seed layer is thin to a position far from the wafer substratewhen metal has been plated onto the wafer substrate. By this motion, theedge of the wafer substrate may be progressively unshielded as thesloped insulating top portion of the movable anode chamber moves awayfrom the wafer substrate.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a cross-sectional schematic diagramof an electroplating apparatus with a movable anode chamber being at oneposition. FIG. 1B is an enlarged diagram of the upper right hand portionof the electroplating apparatus shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 shows anexample of a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an electroplatingapparatus with a movable anode chamber being at another position. Forexample, the movable anode chamber as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is at itsupper position. The movable anode chamber as shown in FIG. 2 is at itslower position. During an electroplating process, the movable anodechamber may move from its upper position to its lower position.

The electroplating apparatus 100 includes a chamber 105 and the movableanode chamber 115 containing an anode 120. In some implementations, thechamber 105 and the movable anode chamber 115 may be cylindrical toaccommodate a circular wafer substrate 130. That is, in a top-down viewof the electroplating apparatus 100, the chamber 105 and the movableanode chamber 115 may have circular cross-sections. The electroplatingapparatus 100 further includes a substrate holder 110 that is configuredto hold the wafer substrate 130 and an ionically conductive ionicallyresistive element 135 located between the anode chamber 115 and thesubstrate holder 110.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer substrate 130 is immersed in theelectrolyte solution (e.g., the catholyte). In some implementations, thesubstrate holder 110 is a clamshell apparatus which makes contacts tothe periphery of the wafer substrate 130 through a number of contactfingers housed behind an elastic “lip seal.” The elastic lip seal servesto seal the clamshell and to keep the edge contact region and waferbackside substantially free of electrolyte, as well as to avoid anyplating onto the contacts.

A clamshell apparatus is composed of two major pieces. The first pieceof the clamshell is the cone. The cone can open, allowing for theinsertion and the extraction of the wafer. The cone also appliespressure to the contacts and the seal. The second piece of the clamshellis the wafer holding cup. The bottom of the cup is generally made of (orcoated with) an insulator to avoid any coupled corrosion andelectrodeposition reaction which would occur, for example, on a metalthat is placed into the electrolyte solution with a laterally varyingpotential, as is the case here. At the same time, however, the cupbottom needs to be mechanically strong (e.g., to press the cup upagainst the wafer and cone and avoid flexing) and thin (e.g., to avoidelectrolyte flow disturbances near the wafer edge). Therefore, in someimplementations, the cup bottom is a metal that is coated with aninsulating material such as glass or plastic. A general description of aclamshell-type plating apparatus having aspects suitable for use withimplementations disclosed herein is described in further detail in U.S.Pat. No. 6,156,167 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,187, which are bothincorporated herein by reference.

In some implementations, the ionically conductive ionically resistiveelement 135 is a high-resistance virtual anode (HRVA). The HRVA may beabout 0.25 inches to 1 inch thick, or about 0.5 inches thick. The openarea of the HRVA may be about 1% to 2%. A HRVA with such an open areaand an about 0.5 inch thickness may increase the electrolyte resistanceacross the volume that the HRVA occupies by about 50 times to 100 times(50× to 100×). Further details of implementations of the ionicallyconductive ionically resistive element 135 are given below.

An auxiliary cathode 350 is positioned between the anode 120 and theionically resistive ionically permeable element 135. In certainembodiments, the auxiliary cathode is generally ring or annularly shapedto provide a significant impact on the current density distribution atthe peripheral region of the work piece. In some instances, theauxiliary cathode 350 is also referred to as a thief cathode. Theauxiliary cathode 350 may draw plating current from the adjacent edgesof the wafer substrate 130 during an electroplating process. Forexample, the auxiliary cathode may reduce plating current at the edge(e.g., about 10 mm to 20 mm) of the wafer substrate when combined withthe impact of the long resistive path though electrolyte generated bythe narrow pathway between the movable anode chamber opening and theHRVA plate (described further, below). In some implementations, theauxiliary cathode 350 may be controlled with an independent powersupply. Further details of implementations of an auxiliary cathode aregiven below.

The movable anode chamber 115 may be fabricated from an insulatingmaterial, such as a polymeric material or a plastic, for example. Suchmaterials include polypropylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), andpolyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), for example. In some implementations,the anode chamber or pieces of the anode chamber may be machined from apolymeric material or a plastic. When the anode chamber is fabricatedfrom different pieces a polymeric material or a plastic, the pieces ofthe anode chamber may be joined with a plastic welding process, forexample.

The movable anode chamber 115 may further include an insulating shield150. The insulating shield 150 also may be fabricated from an insulatingmaterial, such as a polymeric material or a plastic (e.g.,polypropylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF)), for example. The opening in the insulating shield 150,with the opening including a cationic membrane 125, may be about 15% to80% of an area of the face of a wafer substrate 130, in someimplementations. For example, for a 450 mm diameter wafer substrate, theopening in the insulating shield 150 may be about 140 mm to 250 mm indiameter, about 200 mm to 320 mm in diameter, about 240 mm to 300 mm indiameter, or about 200 mm in diameter. For a 300 mm diameter wafersubstrate, the opening in the insulating shield may be about 200 mm to270 mm in diameter. The size of the opening in the insulating shielddetermines in part the degree of terminal effect compensation providedby the movable anode chamber 115. For example, small openings in theinsulating shield 150 will result in terminal effect compensation acrossa larger part of the wafer substrate due to the longer resistive pathtoward the wafer edge. Smaller openings in the insulating shield allowthe process to run with less burden on the auxiliary cathode. However,if the opening is too small, the terminal effect will beover-compensated for, and a center-thick profile will result.

The chamber 105, while containing the movable anode chamber 115, maycontain a different electrolyte solution than the movable anode chamber115, in some implementations. For example, the chamber 105 may contain afirst electrolyte solution 107, sometimes referred to as a catholyte.The movable anode chamber 115 may contain a second electrolyte solution117, sometimes referred to as the anolyte. In some implementations, theanolyte may have a similar composition as the catholyte, but excludeadditives such as accelerators, levelers, and/or suppressors, forexample. The two electrolyte solutions may be separated by the cationicmembrane 125 associated with the movable anode chamber 115. In someother implementations, the chamber 105 and the movable anode chamber 115may contain the same electrolyte solution.

The cationic membrane 125 allows for ionic communication between themovable anode chamber 115 and the chamber 105, while preventing theparticles generated at the anode 120 from entering the proximity of thewafer substrate 130 and contaminating it. The cationic membrane 125 mayalso be useful in prohibiting non-ionic and anionic species such as bathadditives from passing though the membrane and being degraded at theanode surface, and to a lesser extent in redistributing current flowduring the plating process and thereby improving the plating uniformity.Detailed descriptions of suitable ionic membranes are provided in U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,126,798 and 6,569,299, both incorporated herein byreference. Further description of suitable cationic membranes isprovided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/337,147, titled“Electroplating Apparatus With Vented Electrolyte Manifold,” filed Dec.17, 2008, incorporated herein by reference. Yet further detaileddescription of suitable cationic membranes is provided in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/640,992, titled “PLATING METHOD AND APPARATUSWITH MULTIPLE INTERNALLY IRRIGATED CHAMBERS,” filed Dec. 17, 2009,incorporated herein by reference.

In some implementations, the anode 120 may be a disk of material havinga diameter similar to the diameter of the wafer substrate 130. Forexample, the diameter of the anode 120 may be about 450 mm when thewafer substrate 130 has a diameter of about 450 mm. The thickness of theanode 120 may be about 4 cm to 8 cm, or about 6 cm. In someimplementations, the anode may include pieces of a disk of material suchthat the disk may be easily replaced. In some other implementations, theanode may be small spheres or pieces of material that fill a similarspace that a disk would. For example, the anode may be spheres ofmaterial with a diameter of about 0.5 cm to 2.5 cm, or about 1.5 cm.

As noted above, the movable anode chamber 115 can move from an upperposition (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B) to a lower position (e.g.,as shown in FIG. 2) during an electroplating process. The distancebetween the upper position and the lower position may about 2centimeters (cm) to 20 cm, in some implementations. For example, themovable anode chamber 115 may move in the chamber 105 about 2 cm to 20cm to vary the distance between the movable anode chamber 115 and theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135. In some otherimplementations, the distance between the upper position and the lowerposition may about 2 cm, about 10 cm, or about 8 cm to 20 cm.

When the movable anode chamber 115 is in its upper position, it may beclose to the wafer substrate 130, with the ionically conductiveionically resistive element 135, which may be directly below the wafersubstrate 130, being between the wafer substrate 130 and the movableanode chamber 115. In some implementations, a distance between the faceof the ionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 facing thewafer substrate 130 and the face of the wafer substrate 130 may be about1 mm to 8 mm. In some implementations, smaller distances may bedifficult to control.

In some implementations, the insulating shield 150 may be substantiallyflat and substantially parallel to the face of the ionically conductiveionically resistive element 135 it faces. In some other implementations,the insulating shield 150 may angle downwards from its outer perimeterto its inner perimeter, with the inner perimeter defining the opening.For example, the angle 160 the insulating shield 150 makes with ahorizontal plane may be about 0 degrees to 30 degrees, or about 15degrees, in some implementations. That is, in some implementations, theinsulating shield 150 may form a truncated cone (a truncated cone is theresult of cutting a cone by a plane parallel to the base and removingthe part containing the apex). In some implementations, the insulatingshield being angled or sloped may aid in compensating for the terminaleffect related to seed layer resistance. An insulating shield 150 withlower angles to a horizontal plane combined with a closer spacing to theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 yields a strongercompensation of Ohmic voltage drops through the seed layer, in someimplementations. In some other implementations, the insulating shield150 may have a complex shape such as an initially high angle near thewafer center and a more gradual slope near the wafer edge.

In some implementations, the distance 145 between the ionicallyconductive ionically resistive element 135 and the anode chamber 115edge (e.g., or the outer perimeter of the insulating shield 150) may beon the order of a few millimeters when the anode chamber 115 is in itsupper position. In some other implementations, the distance 145 may beabout 1 mm to 10 mm. In some implementations, when the insulating shield150 is substantially flat and substantially parallel to the face of theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 and when the anodechamber 115 is in its upper position, a distance 165 between theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 and the anodechamber 115 (e.g., or the inner perimeter of the insulating shield 150or the cationic membrane 125) may be on the order of a few millimetersor about 1 mm to 10 mm. In some other implementations, when theinsulating shield 150 includes a sloped portion or portions, thedistance 165 may be about 3 mm to 50 mm or about 20 mm to 30 mm.

With the movable anode chamber 115 having an opening at its center, asdefined by insulating shield 150 with the cationic membrane 125, thereis a long path through the electrolyte to the ionically conductiveionically resistive element 135 near the edge of the wafer substrate130. This long path has a relatively high electrical resistance andthereby inhibits current flow to the edge of the wafer substrate 130. Ineffect, the high resistance through the electrolyte between the openingin the movable anode chamber 115 (when the movable anode chamber is inits upper position) and the ionically conductive ionically resistiveelement 135 counteracts the high resistance through the seed layer fromthe wafer substrate edge to the wafer substrate center. In someimplementations, the auxiliary cathode 350 also may be used whenelectroplating on a resistive seed layer when the anode chamber 115 isat its upper position to further aid in mitigating the terminal effect.When the distance between the face of the ionically conductive ionicallyresistive element 135 facing the wafer substrate 130 and the face of thewafer substrate 130 is large (e.g., greater than about 8 mm), however,the impact of the ionically conductive ionically resistive element 135and the anode chamber 115 in its upper position may be degraded.

Thus, with the movable anode chamber 115 being at its upper position asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the terminal effect due to resistive seedlayers may be counterbalanced. The terminal effect diminishes, however,as the metal thickness increases during an electroplating process. Withthe terminal effect diminishing, the movable anode chamber 115 being atits upper position may result in a thick metal layer at the center ofthe wafer substrate, which is not desired.

Therefore, when the terminal effect due to a thin resistive seed layerbegins to diminish due to a metal being plated onto the seed layer, theanode chamber 115 may be moved away from the ionically conductiveionically resistive element 135. As electroplating onto the seed layerprogresses, the anode chamber 115 may be moved further and further awayfrom the ionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 until theanode chamber 115 is at its lower position, as shown in FIG. 2. When theanode chamber 115 is at its lower position, the path through theelectrolyte from the opening in the insulating shield 150 to both thewafer substrate edge and the wafer substrate center approaches the samevalue. Small differences in this path may become negligible due to theresistance of the ionically conductive ionically resistive element 135,for example. Any type of mechanism may be used to move the movable anodechamber 115 to different positions in the chamber 105. In someimplementations, a pneumatic mechanism or a mechanical mechanism may beused.

In some implementations, the rate of movement of the anode chamber 115may be faster at the start of a plating process than at later stages inthe plating process. This may be due to large changes in the seed layerconductivity at the beginning of the plating process. That is, when aplating process starts, the seed layer conductivity may initiallyincrease rapidly as metal is plated onto the seed layer, and thenincrease at a slower rate as additional metal is plated. For example, insome implementations, the anode chamber 115 may move at a rate of about0.5 centimeters per second (cm/s) to 2 cm/s in the first few seconds ofplating. In some implementations, the anode chamber 115 may move at arate of about 0.1 cm/s to 0.5 cm/s after the first few seconds or afterthe first 5 seconds of plating.

In some implementations, the current applied to the auxiliary cathode350 may be coordinated with the movement of the anode chamber 115 sothat a uniform current density across the wafer substrate 130 ismaintained as metal is plated onto the wafer substrate 130. Generally,the current applied to the auxiliary cathode 350 decreases inconjunction with movement of the anode chamber 115 away from theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135. In someimplementations, the auxiliary cathode 350 may not be used whenelectroplating on thick metal films when the anode chamber 115 is at itslower position. The auxiliary cathode 350 may be used, however, when theanode chamber 115 is at its lower position when a thin layer of metal atthe wafer substrate edge is desired.

For example, in some implementations, the anode chamber may be in itsupper position when electroplating copper onto a 0 nm to 5 nm thickcopper seed layer or onto a combination of copper seed layer and copperplated layer. A layer of copper 0 nm to 5 nm thick may have a sheetresistance of about 50 Ohms/square to 5 Ohms/square or about 50Ohms/square to 10 Ohms/square. As the copper electroplating processprogresses, the anode chamber may move with time to about 2 cm to 4 cmbelow its upper position while the next about 10 nm of copper is beingdeposited. The movement of the anode chamber from the upper position toabout 2 cm to 4 cm below the upper position may take place in the firstfew seconds after the electroplating process begins. The sheetresistance of the copper layer may be about 2 Ohms/square at this pointin the process. As the copper electroplating process continues, theanode chamber may move with time to about 8 cm to 20 cm below its upperposition while the next about 30 nm of copper is being deposited. Thesheet resistance of the copper layer may be about 0.4 Ohms/square atthis point in the process. The anode chamber may reach its lowerposition when the plated copper thickness is greater than about 50 nm.

In some implementations, the current density may be lower (e.g., about 3to 10 milliamps per square centimeter (mA/cm²)) during the initialstages of plating with the anode chamber in its upper position comparedto later stages of plating. In some implementations, the current densitymay be about 30 to 50 mA/cm² in the later stages of plating when theanode chamber is at its lower position.

In summary, when a movable anode chamber with an opening in theinsulating shield is at its upper position, the wafer substrate edgesmay be isolated from the anode. When the movable anode chamber is at itslower position, electroplating onto a thick metal layer may be uniformrather than a center-thick profile. The movable anode chamber may becombined with an ionically conductive ionically resistive element and anauxiliary cathode to effectively compensate for the terminal effect, insome implementations.

In some other implementations, a cationic membrane may not be associatedwith the movable anode chamber and may instead be located below theionically conductive ionically resistive element. Thus, the distance 145between the anode chamber 115 and ionically conductive ionicallyresistive element 135 may be determined, in some implementations, inpart by this cationic membrane. In these implementations, the cationicmembrane may include slopes and/or angles to match the insulating shield(e.g., when the insulating shield includes slopes and/or angles).Further, in these implementations, the electrolyte below the cationicmembrane may be shared with the anode chamber when there is not anothermembrane in the opening of the insulting shield of the anode chamber.

In some other implementations, an electroplating apparatus may include amovable shield instead of a movable anode chamber. A movable shield maybe combined with other techniques to aid in mitigating the terminaleffect. For example, in some implementations, an electroplatingapparatus may include an auxiliary cathode, an ionically resistiveionically conductive element, and a movable shield. Some implementationsfurther include a secondary auxiliary cathode 348.

FIGS. 3A and 3B shows examples of a cross-sectional schematic diagram ofan electroplating apparatus with a movable shield. Similar to theelectroplating apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2, theelectroplating apparatus 300 includes a chamber 305 and a substrateholder 110 that is configured to hold a wafer substrate 130. Anionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 may be locatedbetween an anode 315 and the substrate holder 110. An auxiliary cathode350 may be positioned between the anode 120 and the ionically resistiveionically permeable element 135. FIGS. 3C-3F show further examples ofcross-sectional schematic diagrams of an electroplating apparatusaccording to certain embodiments, and are discussed in more detailbelow.

The electroplating apparatus 300 further includes a movable shield 320positioned between the ionically resistive ionically permeable element135 and the anode 315. In some implementations, the movable shield mayinclude two insulating disks 325 and 330. FIGS. 4A and 4B show examplesof isometric projections of one implementation of the movable shield320. FIG. 4A shows a top-down view, and FIG. 4B shows a bottom-up view.In other implementations, the movable shield 320 is a single piece.

The movable shield may include an opening in the central region therein.For example, for a 450 mm diameter wafer substrate, the opening in themovable shield may be about 140 mm to 250 mm in diameter, about 200 mmto 320 mm in diameter, about 240 mm to 300 mm in diameter, or about 200mm in diameter. For a 300 mm diameter wafer substrate, the opening inthe insulating shield may be about 200 mm to 270 mm in diameter.

In some implementations, the electroplating apparatus 300 includes acationic membrane 312 separating the chamber 305 into a catholytechamber and an anolyte chamber containing the anode 315. While thecationic membrane 312 in the electroplating apparatus 300 is locatedabove a movable shield 320 (i.e., the movable shield is in the anolytechamber), in some implementations, the cationic membrane 312 may belocated below the movable shield 320 (i.e., the movable shield is in thecatholyte chamber).

In some implementations, the anode 315 may be a disk of material havinga diameter similar to the diameter of the wafer substrate 130. Forexample, the diameter of the anode 315 may be about 450 mm when thewafer substrate 130 has a diameter of about 450 mm. The thickness of theanode 315 may be about 4 cm to 8 cm, or about 6 cm. In someimplementations, the anode may include pieces of a disk of material suchthat the disk may be easily replaced. In some other implementations, theanode may be small spheres of pieces of material that fill a similarspace that a disk would. For example, the anode may be spheres ofmaterial with a diameter of about 0.5 cm to 2.5 cm, or about 1.5 cm.

In some implementations the movable shield 320 comprises two insulatingdisks 325 and 330. The first insulating disk 325 of the movable shield320 includes an opening 326, and the second insulating disk 330 includesan opening 331. The openings 326 and 331 are in the central regions ofthe insulating disks 325 and 330, respectively. An area of the openings326 and 331 in the first and the second insulating disks 325 and 330 maybe about 15% to 80% of an area the plating face of the substrate, insome implementations. The first insulating disk 325 may include a flange327 that fits within the opening 331 of the second insulating disk 330.The second insulating disk 330 may include a plurality of ridges 332 toincrease the rigidity of the insulating disk. Each insulating disk maybe about 0.5 cm to 2 cm thick, or about 1.3 cm thick. The outer diameterof the movable shield 320 may be slightly larger than a diameter of thewafer substrate that is to be plated in the electroplating apparatus.For example, for a 450 mm diameter wafer, the outer diameter of themovable shield 320 may be about 460 mm to 500 mm, or about 480 mm. Themovable shield 320 may be made out of an insulating material, such as apolymeric material or a plastic, for example. Such materials includepolyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),polycarbonate, clear polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene,polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), forexample.

The first insulating disk 325 may include a plurality of holes 328, andthe second insulating disk 330 also may include a plurality of holes333. When the first insulating disk 325 and the second insulated disk330 are in contact with one another or located close to one another, nofluid (e.g., electrolyte) may be able to flow though the plurality ofholes 328 and 333 due to the holes in each of the disks being offsetfrom one another. When the first insulating disk 325 and the secondinsulated disk 330 are separated from one another by a small distance,however, fluid (e.g., electrolyte) may be able to flow though theplurality of holes 328 and 333. The distance of separation needed for afluid to be able to flow though the plurality of holes 328 and 333 maybe about 0.5 mm to 2 mm, in some implementations.

The movable shield 320 may have an upper position and a lower positionin the chamber 305. In some implementations, a distance 340 between theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 and the movableshield 320 may be on the order of a few millimeters when the movableshield 320 is in its upper position. In some other implementations, thedistance 340 may be about 1 mm to 10 mm. The movable shield 320 may beabout 12 cm to 21 cm, about 15 cm to 18 cm, or about 7 to 14 cm from theanode 315 when the movable shield 320 is in its upper position. Thedistance between the upper position and the lower position of themovable shield may be about 5 cm to 15 cm, about 6 cm to 12 cm, or about10 cm. The movable shield 320 may be about 2 cm to 11 cm or about 5 cmto 8 cm from the anode 315 when the movable shield 320 is in its lowerposition.

When the movable shield 320 is in its upper position, the first and thesecond insulating disks 325 and 330 may be close to one another suchthat no electrolyte is able to flow through the plurality of holes 328and 333. In this configuration, the terminal effect due to a thinresistive seed layer on a wafer substrate may be counterbalanced becauseof the long path through the electrolyte from the anode 315 to the edgeof the wafer substrate 130 (i.e., the path from the anode must passthrough the central openings 326 and 331 in the first and the secondinsulating disks 325 and 330). This long path may have a relatively highelectrical resistance and thereby inhibit current flow to the edge ofthe wafer substrate 130. In effect, the high resistance through theelectrolyte between central openings 326 and 331 in the insulating disks325 and 330 and the ionically conductive ionically resistive element 135may counteract the high resistance through the seed layer from the wafersubstrate edge to the wafer substrate center.

The terminal effect diminishes, however, as the metal thicknessincreases during electroplating. With the terminal effect diminishing,the movable shield 320 being at its upper position may result in a thickmetal layer at the center of the wafer substrate, which is not desired.

Thus, when the terminal effect due to a thin resistive seed layer beginsto diminish due to a metal being plated onto the seed layer, the movableshield 320 may be moved away from the ionically conductive ionicallyresistive element 135. As electroplating onto the seed layer progresses,the movable shield 320 may be moved further and further away from theionically conductive ionically resistive element 135 until the movableshield 320 is at its lower position. As the movable shield 320 is movedfrom its upper position to its lower position, the first and the secondinsulating disks 325 and 330 may be separated from one another by anincreasing distance as the movable shield 320 moves down. When themovable shield 320 is at its lower position, the first and the secondinsulating disks 325 and 330 may be separated from one another by about0.5 mm to 10 mm. Any type of mechanism may be used to move the movableshield to different positions in the chamber. In some implementations, apneumatic mechanism or a mechanical mechanism may be used.

Thus, as the movable shield 320 moves from its upper position to itslower position, a larger amount of electrolyte may be permitted to flowthough the plurality of holes 328 and 333 in each of the insulatingdisks 325 and 330. This allows for alternate electrically conductivepaths though the electrolyte (i.e., through the plurality holes in theinsulating disks) as metal is plated onto the wafer substrate and theterminal effect diminishes. By the motion of the movable shield 320 andby the motion of the insulating disks 325 and 330 relative to oneanother (i.e., to allow electrolyte to flow through the plurality ofholes), the edge of the wafer substrate may be progressively unshielded,allowing for an even current distribution across the face of the wafersubstrate when plating onto a thicker metal layer.

In some implementations, the rate of movement of the movable shield 320may be faster at the start of a plating process than at later stages inthe plating process. This may be due to large changes in the seed layerconductivity at the beginning of the plating process. That is, when aplating process starts, the seed layer conductivity may initiallyincrease rapidly as metal is plated onto the seed layer, and thenincrease at a slower rate as additional metal is plated. For example, insome implementations, the movable shield 320 may move at a rate of about0.4 centimeters per second (cm/s) to 2 cm/s in the first few seconds ofplating. In some implementations, the movable shield 320 may move at arate of about 0.1 cm/s to 0.8 cm/s after the first few seconds or afterthe first 5 seconds of plating.

For example, in some implementations, the movable shield may be is itsupper position when electroplating copper onto a 0 nm to 5 nm thickcopper seed layer or a combination of copper seed layer and copperplated layer. A layer of copper 0 nm to 5 nm thick may have a sheetresistance of about 50 Ohms/square to 5 Ohms/square or about 50Ohms/square to 10 Ohms/square. As the copper electroplating processprogresses, the shield may move with time to about 0.1 cm to 3 cm belowits upper position while the next about 10 nm of copper is beingdeposited. The sheet resistance of the copper layer may be about 2Ohms/square at this point in the process. As the copper electroplatingprocess continues, the may move with time to about 3 cm to 10 cm belowits upper position while the next about 30 nm of copper is beingdeposited. The sheet resistance of the copper layer may be about 0.4Ohms/square at this point in the process. The movable shield may reachits lower position when the plated copper thickness is greater thanabout 50 nm.

In other implementations, electroplating may be allowed to progress forseveral seconds while the movable shield remains fixed at an upperposition. For example, the shield may remain fixed at the upper positionfor the first approximately 4 to 8 seconds, or the first 6 seconds ofelectroplating. During this stage, the auxiliary cathode and secondaryauxiliary cathode, if used, may both be receiving current. Then, themovable shield may begin to move from the upper position to the lowerposition at a rate of approximately 6 to 8 millimeters/second. Incertain embodiments, the auxiliary cathode is turned off or beginsramping down before the movable shield begins to move. In otherembodiments, the auxiliary cathode is not turned off or ramped downuntil after the movable shield is in motion.

The secondary auxiliary cathode may be turned off or begin ramping downbefore, during or after the movable shield moves from its upper positionto its lower position. In most implementations where a secondaryauxiliary cathode is used, the secondary auxiliary cathode will continueto receive current for a period of time after the current to theauxiliary cathode has been turned off or has begun ramping down. Forexample, in certain instances the auxiliary cathode may be turned offwhen the shield is still in its upper position, while the secondaryauxiliary cathode may be turned off after the shield reaches its lowerposition. Electroplating may continue after both the auxiliary andsecondary auxiliary cathodes are turned off.

FIG. 3B shows another example of a cross-sectional schematic diagram ofpart of an electroplating chamber for plating a 450 millimeter wafer. Inparticular, this figure focuses on one half of the electroplatingchamber, from center of the chamber (r=0 millimeters) out to an edge ofthe chamber (r=225 millimeters). In this example, the anode 315 has aradius of 220 millimeters and a height of about 80 millimeters. Theshieldstop 362 (the point where the shield stops moving) is located inthis example at a height of about 100 millimeters, or 20 millimetersabove the anode. In some implementations, however, the distance betweenthe anode and the shieldstop may be less than or greater than thisdistance.

The shield movement 364 in this example is 95 millimeters, representingthe distance that the shield 320 travels over the course of theelectroplating process. In other embodiments, the shield movement 364 isbetween about 75 and 120 millimeters. The shield opening 366 in thisexample has a radius of 150 millimeters. In other instances, the radiusof the shield opening 366 ranges between about 100 to 160 millimeters,or between about 120 to 150 millimeters. For a 300 millimeter wafer, theshield opening 366 may be between about 100 and 135 millimeters.

The auxiliary cathode ring 350 in this example is ½ inch tall. In otherimplementations, the auxiliary cathode 350 may be between about 0.25 and1 inch tall. Generally, taller auxiliary cathodes are better able toshape the current from the anode because they can move more current.However, the height of the auxiliary cathode 350 is limited by thedesired shield movement 364. In other words, because in manyimplementations the movable shield 320 is below the auxiliary cathode350 at all times during operation, a taller auxiliary cathode 350results in less available distance for the shield 320 to move. In mostimplementations, auxiliary cathode 350 is located about 20 to 40millimeters below the ionically resistive ionically permeable element301, for example 30 millimeters below.

The secondary auxiliary cathode ring 350 in this example is about 1 inchwide, and it resides in a side channel, as shown. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the secondary auxiliary cathode 350 may be between 0.25and 1 inches wide. In other embodiments, the secondary auxiliary cathodemay be absent. The virtual secondary auxiliary cathode 348 is located atthe point where the physical secondary auxiliary cathode ring 360 actsto divert current from the edge of the substrate during electroplating.In this example the virtual secondary auxiliary cathode 348 is locatedabove the ionically resistive ionically permeable element (HRVA) 301, atthe position where the side channel holding the secondary auxiliarycathode 348 meets the rest of the electroplating chamber 305.

The cationic membrane 312 is found between the ionically resistiveionically permeable element 301 and the anode 315. The cationic membrane312 is above both the shield 320 and the auxiliary cathode 350. In mostimplementations, the cationic membrane 312 is between 10 and 30millimeters above the uppermost position of the shield 320, for example10 millimeters above the shield. The distance between the anode 315 andthe substrate 130, in most implementations, is between about 150 and 250millimeters.

In examples where the movable shield 320 includes two insulating disks,the distance between the first and the second insulating disks may beincreased as the movable shield is moved from its upper position to itslower position. For example, at the upper position of the movableshield, the insulating disks may be positioned with respect to oneanother such that electrolyte cannot flow though the plurality of holes.At the lower position of the movable shield, the insulating disks may bepositioned at a distance from one another such that electrolyte can flowthough the plurality of holes. The separation between the first and thesecond insulating disks may be increased with time, in someimplementations.

In some other implementations, instead of the first and the secondinsulating disks allowing the flow of electrolyte through the pluralityof holes as the disks are separated from one another, the disks may berotated with respect to one another to allow for the flow of electrolytethrough the plurality of holes. For example, when the first and thesecond insulating disks are at one position with respect to one another,a plurality of holes in the first insulating may not overlap with aplurality of holes in the second insulating disk. When the first and thesecond insulating disks are rotated to another position with respect toone another, however, the plurality of holes in the first insulatingdisk may overlap with the plurality of holes in the second insulatingdisk such that a fluid is able to flow though the plurality of holes.

In further implementations, the first and the second insulating disksmay be associated with a movable anode chamber. For example, the movableanode chamber described with respect to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2 may includethe first and the second insulating disks described with respect toFIGS. 3A, 3B and 4, with the insulating disks replacing the insulatingshield. A plating chamber with such an anode chamber may provide forfurther mitigation of the terminal effect, in some implementations.

The apparatus described herein may include hardware for accomplishingthe process operations, as described above, and also include a systemcontroller (not shown) having instructions for controlling processoperations in accordance with the disclosed implementations. The systemcontroller may include one or more memory devices and one or moreprocessors configured to execute the instructions so that the apparatuscan perform a method in accordance with the disclosed implementations.

Machine-readable media containing instructions for controlling processoperations in accordance with the disclosed implementations may becoupled to the system controller.

Structure of the Ionically Conductive Ionically Resistive Element

In some implementations, the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement is a microporous plate or disk having a continuousthree-dimensional network of pores (e.g., plates made of sinteredparticles of ceramics or glass). For example, a porous plate has athree-dimensional pore network including intertwining pores throughwhich ionic current can travel both vertically up through the disk inthe general direction of the anode to wafer substrate, as well aslaterally (e.g., from the center to the edge of the disk). Examples ofsuitable designs for such plates are described in U.S. Pat. No.7,622,024, which is herein incorporated by reference.

In some other implementations, through-holes are provided in theionically resistive ionically permeable element to form channels that donot substantially communicate with one another within the body of theelement, thereby minimizing lateral movement of ionic current in theelement. Current flows in a manner that is one-dimensional,substantially in the vector direction that is normal to the closestplated surface near the resistive element.

The ionically resistive ionically permeable element having 1-Dthrough-holes (also referred to as a HRVA or a 1-D porous HRVA) issometimes a disk (other shapes may also be used) made of an ionicallyresistive material having a plurality of holes drilled (or otherwisemade) through it. The holes do not form communicating channels withinthe body of the disk and generally extend through the disk in adirection that is substantially normal to the surface of the wafer. Avariety of ionically resistive materials can be used for the disk body,including but not limited to polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene,polyvinylidene diflouride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene, polysulphone,and the like. The disk materials may be resistant to degradation inacidic electrolyte environment, relatively hard, and easy to process bymachining.

In some implementations, the ionically resistive element is a HRVAhaving a large number of isolated and unconnected ionically permeablethrough-holes (e.g., a resistive disk having multiple perforations orpores allowing for passage of ions) in close proximity to the workpiece, thereby dominating or “swamping” the overall system's resistance.When sufficiently resistive relative to the wafer sheet resistance, theelement can be made to approximate a uniform distribution currentsource. By keeping the work piece close to the resistive elementsurface, the ionic resistance from the top of the element to the surfaceis much less than the ionic path resistance from the top of the elementto the work piece edge, compensating for the sheet resistance in thethin metal film and directing a significant amount of current over thecenter of the work piece. Some benefits and details associated withusing an ionically resistive ionically permeable element in closeproximity of the substrate are discussed in detail in the U.S. Pat. No.7,622,024, which is herein incorporated by reference.

Regardless of whether the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement permits one or more dimensional current flow, it is preferablyco-extensive with the wafer substrate, and therefore has a diameter thatis generally close to the diameter of the wafer that is being plated.Thus, for example, the element diameter may be about 150 mm and 450 mm,with an about 200 mm element being used for a 200 mm wafer, an about 300mm element for a 300 mm wafer, and an about 450 mm element for a 450 mmwafer, and so forth. In those instances where the wafer has a generallycircular shape but has irregularities at the edge, e.g., notches or flatregions where wafer is cut to a chord, a disk-shaped element can stillbe used, but other compensating adjustments can be made to the system,as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/291,356, filed Nov.7, 2008.

In some implementations, the element has a diameter that is greater thanthe diameter of the wafer to be plated (e.g., greater than 200 mm, 300mm, or 450 mm), and has an outer edge portion that is hole-free (in thecase of a one-dimensional HRVA). Such edge portion can be used to createa small gap about the periphery of the wafer (a peripheral gap betweenthe HRVA edge portion and either the wafer edge or the bottom ofwafer-holding cup), and to assist in mounting the HRVA within thechamber, e.g., to a chamber wall. In some implementations the size ofthe hole-free HRVA edge is about 5 mm to 50 mm from the outer edge ofthe HRVA to the edge of the portion of the HRVA that has holes.

In the case of a one-dimensional HRVA, the number of through-holes madein the disk may be relatively large, but the diameter of each hole maybe quite small. Generally, the diameter of each hole generally is lessthan about ¼ of the HRVA to wafer gap. In some implementations, thenumber of holes is about 6,000 to 12,000, with each hole (or at least95% of holes) having a diameter (or other principal dimension) of lessthan about 1.25 mm. In some implementations, the thickness of the HRVAmay be about 5 mm to 50 mm, e.g., about 10 mm to 25 mm. In someimplementations, a HRVA may be about 5% porous or less.

In some other implementations, it may be advantageous to use a HRVAhaving regions with non-uniform distributions of holes, or with holesthat are blocked such that the wafer experiences a non-uniform holedistribution. Such a hole distribution may permanently direct morecurrent to the center of the wafer, such that a high resistance seedlayer is more uniformly plated than if a uniform hole distribution isused. A thick film (i.e., with a low sheet resistance), however, willtend to plate more non-uniformly if a non-uniform hole distribution isused. The blocked or missing holes may be non-uniform in the radial,azimuthal, or both directions. In some implementations, the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element is positioned substantiallyparallel to the wafer and anode surface, and the one-dimensionalthrough-holes are oriented parallel to the direction between the waferand anode surface. In some other implementations, at least some of theholes have their relative angle modified to change the hole lengthrelative to the element thickness, and thereby modify the localcontribution of the holes to the resistance.

It is important to note here that a HRVA is distinct from so-calleddiffuser plates; the main function of a diffuser plate is to distributethe flow of electrolyte, rather than to provide significant electricalresistance. As long as 1) the flow is relatively uniform, 2) the gapsufficiently large between the wafer holder and diffuser plane, and 3)the spacing between the wafer and anode is sufficiently large (e.g., fora non-movable anode), the relative gap between a low electricalresistance diffuser and the wafer will generally only have a minorimpact on the current distribution when plating a high sheet resistancewafer.

In contrast, in the case of a one-dimensional HRVA, current is preventedfrom flowing radially by providing a large number of smallthrough-holes, each having very small principal dimension (or diameterfor circular holes). For example, HRVAs having about 6,000 to 12,000perforations, with each perforation having a diameter of less than about5 mm, e.g., less than about 4 mm, less than about 3 mm, or less thanabout 1 mm, are suitable resistive elements. The porosity value forsuitable disks is generally about 1% to 5%. Such disks increase theresistance of the plating system by about 0.3 to 1.2 ohm or more,depending on the design and electrolyte conductivity.

In contrast, diffuser plates generally have openings that constitute amuch larger net porosity (in the range of from 25 to 80 percent openvoid fraction), no more than is required to achieve a substantiallyuniform electrolyte flow though a significant viscous flow resistance,and generally have a much smaller, often insignificant, overallcontribution to resistance of the plating system.

While a HRVA (unlike a diffuser plate) may have substantial resistivity,in some implementations the HRVA is configured such that it does notincrease the system total resistance by more than about 5 ohms. While alarger system total resistance may be used, this limitation is becauseexcessive resistance will require increased power to be used, leading toundesirable heating of the electroplating system. Also, because of somepractical limitations of manufacturability (i.e., creating a largenumber or exceedingly small diameter holes), performance (fewer holesleading to individual-hole current “imaging”), and loss of generalprocess utility (e.g., inability to plate thicker films without wastedpower, heat and bath degradation), about 5 ohms is a practical HRVAlimitation.

Another parameter of a one-dimensional resistive element is the ratio ofa through-hole diameter (or other principal dimension) to the distanceof the element from the wafer. It was discovered experimentally andsubsequently verified by computer modeling that this ratio may beapproximately 1 or less (e.g., less than about 0.8, or less than about0.25). In some implementations, this ratio is about 0.1 for providinggood plating uniformity performance. In other words, the diameter of thethrough-hole should be equal to or smaller than the distance from theHRVA element to the wafer. In contrast, if the through-hole diameter islarger than the wafer-to-HRVA distance, the through-hole may leave itsindividual current image or “footprint” on the plated layer above it,thereby leading to small scale non-uniformity in the plating. The holediameter values recited above refer to the diameter of the through-holeopening measured on the HRVA face that is proximate to the wafer. Inmany implementations, the through-hole diameter on both proximate anddistal faces of HRVA is the same, but it is understood that holes canalso be tapered.

The distribution of current at the wafer may also depend on uniformityof the hole distribution on the HRVA. Regarding hole distribution, theholes in a HRVA plate may be designed to be of the same size and aredistributed substantially uniformly. However, in some cases, such anarrangement can lead to a center spike or dip in the plated filmthickness, or a corrugated (wavy) pattern. Specifically, use of a HRVAhaving uniform distribution of holes in the center has resulted incenter spikes of about 200 Å to 300 Å for 1 micrometer plated layer.

In one implementation, a non-uniform distribution of 1-D pores/holes inthe central region of the HRVA may be used to prevent the center spikes.The central region of HRVA is defined by a circular region at the HRVAcenter, generally within about 1 inch radius from the center of HRVAdisk, or within about 15% of the wafer radius. The non-uniformdistribution of through-holes effective for spike reduction can have avariety of arrangements achieved by shifting holes, adding new holes,and/or blocking holes in an otherwise uniform pattern. Variousnon-uniform center hole patterns may be useful for avoiding platingnon-uniformity and are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/291,356, filed Nov. 7, 2008, which is herein incorporated byreference.

Structure of the Auxiliary Cathode

The auxiliary cathode 350 may be located between the anode 120 and theionically resistive ionically permeable element 301. The auxiliarycathode 350 may have may have its own electrolyte flow loop (not shown)and pump (not shown). Further details regarding configurations of theauxiliary cathode 350 are given in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/291,356, filed Nov. 7, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/481,503, filed Jun. 9, 2009, which are herein incorporated byreference.

In some implementations, the auxiliary cathode includes multiplesegments, where each of the segments can be separately powered by aseparate power supply or using one power supply having multiple channelsadapted to independently power segments of the second physical cathode.Such a segmented auxiliary cathode may be useful for plating onnon-circular or asymmetrical wafers, such as wafers having flat regions;some wafers contain wafer “flats”, a cut out arc of the wafer at thewafer edge, used, for example, for alignment. In general, however, asegmented auxiliary cathode having independently powered segments can beused with any kind of work piece (symmetrical or not), as it allowsfine-tuning plating uniformity. Specifically, a segmented auxiliarycathode can be used for providing current corrections at differentazimuthal positions of the wafer.

The auxiliary cathode segments can be located below, at the same level,or above the wafer, either in the same plating chamber as the wafer orin a different plating chamber in ionic communication with the mainplating chamber. Any arrangement of the segments can be used, as long asthe segments are aligned with different azimuthal positions about thewafer. The number of segments can vary depending on the needs of theprocess. In some implementations, about 2 to 10 segments are used.

One of the advantages of employing an auxiliary cathode for modulatingthe current directed at a wafer (over, for example, a moving mechanicalshield or iris alone) is that the level of current applied to theauxiliary cathode can be rapidly and dynamically controlled during theplating process (e.g., times shorter than a few seconds) to account forrapidly changing metal sheet resistance as the metal is deposited. Thisaids in keeping the plating non-uniformity to a minimum during differenttimes in the plating process. For example, the level of current appliedto the auxiliary cathode can start at high level when the layer is thin,and then can be gradually or incrementally reduced during plating (e.g.,over a period of a few seconds) as the thickness of the plated layerincreases and the severity of the terminal effect subsides.

A HRVA and/or a second auxiliary cathode, positioned near the workpiece, can influence the plating surface of the work piece and reshapethe current distribution on a wafer by changing the voltage and currentdistribution only in a region in close proximity to the face of the workpiece. These elements do not significantly impact the currentdistribution within the electrolyte or at the anode at a significantdistance from the work piece surface, such as below the HRVA. Thus,these measures (using the HRVA and/or second auxiliary cathode locatednear the wafer or HRVA as described herein) have little or no impact onthe current distribution closer to the anode which resides below theHRVA. In many cases, the ionic current distribution remains nearlyconstant in the region between the anode and the HRVA.

The HRVA alone generally will improve the long range radial currentdistribution over configurations without a HRVA (from less uniform tomore uniform). However, without a specific radial-pore-pattern limitedto the application over a thickness/sheet resistance range or amechanically activated dynamic change in shielding, the radial currentdistribution generally tends to be less than perfectly uniform,generally center thin. A secondary auxiliary cathode, positioned abovethe HRVA, outside the gap created by the wafer substrate and the HRVA,and peripheral to the wafer edge, can dynamically influence the edgecurrent distribution (typically limited to a region within about 1-3 cmfrom the edge), but not change the central plating region's currentdistribution. A movable shield positioned above the anode and below theHRVA also can help dynamically influence the current distribution in theplating chamber. However, for some applications, particularly situationswhere the sheet resistance is exceedingly large, using a HRVA and/orsecond auxiliary cathode and/or movable shield as described herein maybe insufficient to fully overcome the terminal effect.

It may be necessary to modify the current distribution inside theelectrolyte at positions well removed from the work piece, i.e., at aposition relatively closer to the anode, to adequately address theterminal effect when very high resistance seed or seed/barriercombination layers are used. In certain embodiments described herein,this is accomplished by positioning an auxiliary cathode at a locationbelow the HRVA and between the work piece and the anode. The auxiliarycathode is shaped and oriented to modify the current densitydistribution within the electrolyte in a plane parallel to the wafer,below the HRVA, and located some distance from the work piece in amanner that reduces the current density and current vector (flowdirection) in regions of the plane below and corresponding to the edgeregions of the work piece. This is similar to the on-wafer effect of aphysical iris or shield placed below a work piece in a plating chamber.For this reason, the auxiliary electrodes of embodiments of thisinvention are sometimes referred to as “electronic irises”, or an“EIRIS”, because an electronic auxiliary electrode is used to accomplisha result similar to that of a physical iris such as a shield placed inthe current path between the wafer and the anode. In the case an EIRIS,however, the current vector trajectory is shifted radially outwards,rather than being blocked at larger radii and being forced and squeezedinwards with a shield.

To elaborate, one difference between an EIRIS and a physical iris orshield is that all the current from the anode passes through the openingin the shield as it “squeezes through” the iris or shieldingrestriction. Current is largely or completely blocked by the shield andis re-routed from the edge regions radially inwards before passingupwards. As a result, the central current density in the region of theshield opening is generally increased. In the case of the EIRIS, not allthe current emanating from the anode arrives at the wafer, as some ofthe edge current is generally diverted radially outwards towards theauxiliary electrode. Above the auxiliary cathode the magnitude of thecurrent density vector directed at the wafer tends to be reduced becauseof the diversion, but the current density in the central region of anEIRIS-equipped electroplating apparatus above the EIRIS is only slightlydecreased or perhaps unaltered vs. the non-EIRIS case.

The region where the auxiliary cathode acts is generally parallel to thesubstrate surface and separated therefrom. Generally, it is desirable tohave the auxiliary cathode located relatively close to the lower surfaceof the HRVA so that the current does not have the space in which toredistribute to a more non-uniform profile before reaching the HRVAsurface. In certain implementations, the distance, d, between the lowersurface of the HRVA and the auxiliary cathode is approximately equal toor less than the radius, r, of wafer onto which metal is being plated(i.e., d˜≦r). The auxiliary cathode should also be significantly abovethe plane of the anode so the current from the anode has space to changedirections without unduly large auxiliary cathode voltages or currents.

Generally, the distance of the auxiliary cathode in the anode chamberand below the wafer and HRVA (when the system has a HRVA) should be keptto less than about 50% of the wafer diameter. For example, for a 300 mmwafer, the auxiliary cathode might be between about 0.75 to 6.5 inchesbelow the wafer and between about 0.25 and 6 inches below a HRVA. Incontrast, the location of the anode relative to the wafer, HRVA (whenemployed), and auxiliary cathode is a compromise between functionalperformance as well as engineering waste. Typically, the anode shouldgenerally be in the anode chamber and below all three of these elements.But while the electroplating apparatus might have the anode located farbelow the wafer, HRVA, and auxiliary electrode, for example, 40 inchesbelow the wafer, such an electroplating apparatus, while it could bemade to function, would require quite a bit of excess power.

As was already noted, the auxiliary cathode should be relatively closeto the wafer or bottom surface of the HRVA. As way of a further example,if the auxiliary cathode was located 39 inches below the wafer with ananode 40 inches below the wafer (i.e., reasonably close to the plane ofthe anode and far from the bottom of the HRVA), most of the current fromthe anode would go to the EIRIS, but that which left the lower region ofthe electroplating apparatus anode chamber would have a great distanceto travel before reaching the wafer. Over such a distance, the currentwould tend to equilibrate back to a different current distribution bythe time it reached the HRVA and wafer, so the uniformity at the waferwould be largely unaffected by the existence of the EIRIS.Alternatively, if the anode were 0.75 inches from the wafer, 0.25 inchesbelow the HRVA, and substantially parallel to or even above the EIRIS,the electroplating apparatus also would not work as well as when theanode were substantially below the EIRIS as described above, because theEIRIS would not be as effective in removing current from the morecentral regions of the cell. Therefore, in some embodiments, thedistance of the physical anodes (or virtual anode mouth) surface closestto the wafer should be at last about 1/10 the wafer diameter below theplane of the EIRIS electrode (or virtual EIRIS cavity mouth) closest tothe wafer. For example, if the plane of the EIRIS electrodes closestpoint to a 300 mm wafer is 50 mm below the wafer and 25 mm below theHRVA, then the anode should be at least about 30 mm below that plane, ora total of 80 mm (30+50=80) below the wafer.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 3C-3F, the auxiliary cathode 350 is locatedbelow the HRVA. It is positioned in the anode chamber (i.e., either thediffusion chamber or the sealed anode chamber). In the embodiment shownin FIGS. 3C-3F, the auxiliary cathode is located above the cationicmembrane, in the diffusion chamber 308. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.3C-3F, auxiliary cathode 350 comprises physical cathode 339, housed in achamber 341 with its own electrolyte flow circuit and pump (not shown).In some embodiments, the size of the auxiliary cathode (i.e., the heightof the opening of the virtual cathode chamber) is about 5 to 15% (incertain embodiments, about 10%) of the radius of the wafer being plated.In FIGS. 3C-3F, electrolyte enters the auxiliary cathode chamber 341 at351 and exits at 352. The auxiliary cathode chamber is separated fromthe diffusion chamber 308 by an ion-permeable membrane 344. A rigidframework may provide support for the membrane. The membrane 344 allowsionic communication between the diffusion chamber 308 and the auxiliarycathode chamber 341, thereby allowing the current to be diverted to theauxiliary cathode 350. The porosity of membrane 344 is such that it doesnot allow particulate material to cross from the auxiliary cathodechamber 341 to the diffusion chamber 308 and result in wafercontamination. In some embodiments, the ion-permeable membrane 344 is acationic membrane, such as Nafion, and the membrane does not result in asignificant ionic resistance (as compared, for example, element 349described below). Other mechanisms for allowing fluidic and/or ioniccommunication between the auxiliary cathode chamber and the anodechamber are within the scope of this invention, including the ionicmembranes and cationic membranes noted above. Examples include designsin which an impermeable wall, in addition to the membrane 344, providessome of the barrier between the electrolyte in the anode chamber and theelectrolyte in the auxiliary cathode chamber.

In some embodiments, the physical cathode 339 associated with theauxiliary cathode 350 is an annularly shaped strip of metal locatedwithin the auxiliary cathode chamber 341. The physical cathode 339 isconnected to a power supply 370 by, for example, a feed-throughconnector attached to an electrode cable (not shown). The metalcomposing the physical cathode 339 and its surface is preferably inertunder electroplating conditions. Examples on inert metals which can beused as a physical cathode include tantalum, tungsten, titanium,palladium or platinum, a palladium or platinized metal substrate such astitanium or tungsten or tantalum, iridium, iridized titanium and thelike. In some embodiments, the same material that is being plated as thephysical cathode material is used. For example, a copper-comprisingphysical cathode may be used when copper is plated.

The dimensions of the auxiliary cathode chamber 341 and of the physicalcathode 339 may vary depending on the needs of electroplating process.In some embodiments, the width of the physical cathode is about 10 to20% (about 15% in certain embodiments) of the radius of the wafer beingplated. In one embodiment, the physical cathode is a strip of metal,having a thickness of about 0.1 to 2 mm, a width of about 0.5 to 5 cm,and a length traversing the outer peripheral region of the anodechamber. Embodiments of other cathode configurations include circularbars (O-shaped toroids), C-shaped bars, coils having a circularconfiguration in which individual coils define a small circle and theoverall coiled structure surrounds the main plating vessel in theauxiliary cathode or anode chamber.

While the auxiliary cathode chamber need not be restricted to afractional volume, it is generally smaller than the anode chamber,having a volume of about 1 to 20% of the anode chamber, and in someembodiments, around 5%. As described above, it is generally desirable tohave the auxiliary cathode located relatively close to the lower surfaceof the HRVA, so that the current does not have the space in which toredistribute before reaching the wafer surface. The distance, d, betweenthe lower surface of the HRVA and the auxiliary cathode should generallybe about equal to or less than the radius, r, of wafer onto which metalis being plated (i.e., d˜≦r). In embodiments where a HRVA is notemployed, the distance, d, between the wafer and the auxiliary cathodeshould generally be about equal to or less than 1.3 times the radius, r,of the wafer onto which metal is being plated (i.e., d˜≦1.3r). Theauxiliary cathode should also be significantly above the plane of theanode so the current from the anode has space to change directionswithout unduly large auxiliary cathode voltages or currents.

In further embodiments, a high ionically resistive porous membrane 349,generally similar in construction to that of the HRVA itself, though notrequiring particularly small or numerous holes, is positioned betweenthe auxiliary cathode chamber and the anode chamber. Such a membraneserves to shape the current distribution to the sides of theelectroplating cell, making it more uniform. A membrane for this purposetypically has between about 1 to 5% porosity. It may or may not includesmall one-dimensional holes. The resistance of the membrane 349 in thisfunction is generally commensurate with the resistance of the HRVA 301in front of the wafer, improving the current distribution uniformity tothe auxiliary electrode, as well as making the current at the virtualauxiliary electrode mouth more uniform/consistent. In certainembodiments, the high ionically resistive porous membrane 349 is lessthan about 25 mm thick, and preferably about 12.5 mm thick. Exemplaryhole diameter sizes in membrane 349 are between about 1 and 10 mm. Slotsor other openings can also be used.

In some cases, when using an auxiliary cathode located below a platingsubstrate in an electroplating apparatus, it may be desirable not to usea HRVA. For example, such a HRVA-free system might be sued when thewafer's sheet resistance is not greater than about 5 ohm per square. Insome cases, the auxiliary cathode alone (preferably, but notnecessarily, in combination with a second auxiliary cathode locatedabove the anode chamber and peripheral to the wafer holder, described inmore detail below) may be capable of improving the uniformity of thecurrent density experienced by the wafer to a sufficient level withoutthe additional cost and complexity of an HRVA.

The second auxiliary cathode 348 is located outside the anode chamber,outside of the HRVA-to-wafer gap 316, and outside of the peripheral gap317. As noted above, the second auxiliary cathode in the embodimentshown in FIGS. 3B-3F is a virtual cathode. The second auxiliary cathode,similar to the auxiliary cathode, has an associated second physicalcathode 360, a chamber 343 and may contain its own electrolyte flowloop, pump (not shown), and cationic membrane 346, as shown in FIGS.3C-3F. In FIGS. 3C-3F, electrolyte enters the chamber 343 at 354 andexits at 356. The cationic membrane 346 allows ionic communicationbetween the second auxiliary cathode chamber and the plating cell, whilepreventing any particles generated at the second auxiliary cathode fromentering into the plating chamber. Further details regarding theconfiguration of the second auxiliary cathode are given in U.S.application Ser. No. 12/291,356 filed Nov. 7, 2008, previouslyincorporated by reference.

In some embodiments, the second physical cathode of the second auxiliarycathode includes multiple segments, where each of the segments can beseparately powered by a separate power supply or using one power supplyhaving multiple channels adapted to independently power segments of thesecond physical cathode. Such a segmented second physical cathode isparticularly useful for plating on non-circular or asymmetrical wafers,such as wafers having flat regions. While fairly uncommon today, somewafers contain wafer “flats”, a cut out arc of the wafer at the waferedge, used, for example, for alignment. In general, however, a segmentedsecond physical cathode having independently powered segments can beused with any kind of workpiece (symmetrical or not), as it allowsfine-tuning plating uniformity. Specifically, a segmented secondphysical cathode can be used for providing current corrections atdifferent azimuthal positions of the wafer.

Because current density at the wafer flat region will generally bedifferent than the current density at the circular regions of the wafer,a different amount of current needs to be diverted from the wafer flatpart as compared from the other parts. Accordingly, in one embodiment,the second physical cathode segments are powered in concert with waferrotation, such that a first level of current is supplied to the segmentsaligned with the wafer flat region, while a second level of current issupplied to the second physical cathode segments aligned with thecircular portions of the wafer.

The second physical cathode segments can be located below, at the samelevel, or above the wafer, either in the same plating chamber as thewafer or in a different plating chamber in ionic communication with themain plating chamber. Any arrangement of the segments can be used, aslong as the segments are aligned with different azimuthal positionsabout the wafer. The number of segments can vary depending on the needsof the process. In some embodiments between about 2-10 segments areused.

While a multi-segmented second physical cathode of a second auxiliarycathode is particularly useful with a 1-D HRVA disposed in closeproximity of the wafer, as was described above, this is a separateembodiment which can be used both independently and in combination withvarious plating apparatus features disclosed herein.

Virtual Electrode

Two types of current source (or sink) electrodes should be recognized ina plating apparatus as described herein: a virtual electrode and aphysical electrode. Both types of electrodes provide either currentsources (anodes) or current sinks (cathodes).

Physical electrodes are commonly known as electrochemical interfaces,typically composed of a conductive material such as a metal (e.g.copper) that are solid (or in some circumstances a liquid when using aconductive liquids such as mercury) physical structures where anelectrochemical reaction takes place at the electrolyte interface. Anexample of a physical electrode is a piece of copper where copperelectrodeposition or oxidation takes place. These physical conductiveanodes or cathodes, disposed within an electrolyte of an electroplatingchamber, can have various dimensions and can be located as desiredanywhere within an electroplating chamber, either inside or outside ananode chamber as described herein, above, below or to the side of aplating substrate or HRVA plate depending on the type of electrode andits desired function. While the physical electrode has a finite size(depth), when the electrode is non-porous (e.g. as a solid piece ofmetal), the influence of the physical electrodes on the reaction currentdistribution is generally limited primarily to the surface contour ofthe electrode exposed to the electrolyte within the chamber.

A virtual electrode has an associated physical electrode that is locatedat a position removed from that of the virtual electrode. In otherwords, the positions of the virtual electrode and its associatedphysical electrode are separated by some distance. However, the virtualelectrode is in ionically conductive communication with its associatedphysical electrode. In addition to its physical electrode, a virtualelectrode is defined by an insulating or highly resistive cavitystructure which constrains the current and current distributionassociated with the physical electrode. Such structure is typically incontact with the electroplating solution. Without the insulating orhighly ionically resistive structure, the current distribution from thephysical electrode could be significantly more non-uniform at thelocation of the virtual electrode. A typical insulating structure is afocusing tube or focusing cavity that surrounds the physical electrodein all directions except for an opening or mouth to a larger region ofthe plating chamber (e.g., an opening to the main part of the chamber).The effective location of the virtual electrode in such designs is thevirtual electrode's mouth (i.e., the position where the cavity or othercontainment structure opens into a larger region of the plating vesselsuch as the region that contains the work piece being electroplated). Anexample of a virtual cathode defined by a cavity in an insulatingstructure is shown as element 348 in FIG. 3B, where the associatedphysical cathode is shown as element 360. An example of a virtual anodeformed by a cavity and a highly ionically resistive structure is thehigh resistance virtual anode (HRVA) shown as element 301 in FIG. 3A,and associated with anode 315. Other virtual anodes are discussed inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/040,359, filed Jan. 20, 2005, whichis incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Often a virtual electrode can be characterized by three elements: 1) aphysical electrode, 2) a dielectric housing cavity containing ionicconductive electrolyte that confines the manner in which the ioniccurrent flows to or from the physical electrode and 3) one or morecavity mouth(s). As indicated, the dielectric housing cavity structureessentially allows one to confine, direct, and/or focus the currentdelivered to, or emanating from, the cavity though the virtual electrodecavity mouth(s). Generally, the location of the associated physicalelectrode within the virtual electrode cavity allows the physicalelectrode influence to be substantially removed from the electrode'sphysical location and transposed to the virtual electrode's location.

In certain embodiments, the physical electrode within a virtualelectrode cavity is located behind or below a membrane, such as acationic conductive membrane. Such membrane may serve the purpose oflimiting the physical electrode's exposure to plating bath additives,and/or preventing particles generated at the physical electrode fromentering the main electrode chamber or traveling to the wafer surface.In some embodiments, the mouth of the virtual electrode cavity containsa high resistance porous dielectric element (a so called high resistancevirtual anode or cathode plate). The inclusion of such a platesubstantially increases the voltage drop therein, and allows the mouthof the virtual electrode to more closely approximate a uniform currentsource, which in some cases can increase the radial effectiveness of thevirtual electrode and create a more uniform wafer current at a lowertotal auxiliary electrode current.

The non-conductive virtual electrode cavity structures (e.g. plasticwalls) direct all or substantially all of the current coming from orgoing to the physical electrode that is housed internally in the virtualelectrode cavity to emanate from or enter into the virtual electrodecavity mouth. The potential at the surface of a conductive physicalelectrode is typically approximately a single constant value. Thiscondition may be, but is not necessarily, approximated at the virtualcavity mouth. It is understood that it is not necessary for the virtualcavity mouth to have all the properties of, or result in an identicalcurrent distribution at the virtual cathode/anodes mouth location thatwould occur if a physical electrode where located there. However, allcurrent from the physical electrode must pass though the cavitymouth(s), and when the electrode, cavity, resistive element and othercomponents are appropriately designed, both the potential and currentdistribution across the virtual electrode can be made to besubstantially uniform. For example, the shape of the cavity can bemodified to improve the uniformity of plating on the physical cathode.The virtual electrode mouth region is typically, though not necessarily,planar, annular, or conical, though other shapes are certainly possible.For many purposes, the virtual electrode mouth appears to act like a“real” physical electrode because it presents a surface where currentpasses into or out of a major cell element (e.g. main anode chamber). Asindicated, this cavity mouth “surface” influences plating conditions byproviding or consuming ionic current in the similar manner that aphysical electrode would if the physical electrode were located at theposition of the virtual electrode mouth.

Power Supplies for the Electroplating Apparatus

In certain embodiments, one or more power supplies are provided for thework piece and the one or more auxiliary cathodes. In some cases, aseparate power supply is provided for each auxiliary cathode and thework piece; this allows flexible and independent control over deliveryof power to each cathode. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 3C-3F,three DC power supplies are used for controlling current flow to thewafer 314, to physical cathode 339 (associated with auxiliary cathode350), and to physical cathode 360 (associated with second auxiliarycathode 348). In FIG. 3D, only two power supplies, one for wafer 314 andone for physical cathode 339, are shown for the sake of clarity. Thepower supply 380 has a negative output lead 382 electrically connectedto wafer 114 through, e.g., one or more slip rings, brushes and/orcontacts (not shown). The positive output lead 384 of power supply 380is electrically connected to an anode 315 located in the separated anodechamber 304. Similarly, a power supply 370 has a negative output lead372 electrically connected to the physical cathode 339, and a positiveoutput lead 374 electrically connected to anode 315. Alternatively, onepower supply with multiple independently controllable electrical outletscan be used to provide different levels of current to the wafer and tothe auxiliary cathode. The power supplies 380 and 370 can be connectedto a controller 378, which allows for independent control of current andpotential provided to the wafer and auxiliary cathode of theelectroplating apparatus. The second physical cathode (not shown in FIG.3D) is connected to a power supply (not shown) in a similar matter tothe physical cathode.

During use, the power supplies 380 and 370 bias the wafer 314 and thephysical cathode 339, respectively, to have a negative potentialrelative to anode 315. Power supply 380 causes an electrical current toflow from anode 315 to wafer 314, plating metal onto the wafer. Powersupply 370 causes the electrical current flowing from anode 315 to wafer314 to be partially or substantially diverted to auxiliary cathode 350.The electrical circuit described above may also include one or severaldiodes (not shown) that will prevent reversal of the current flow, whensuch reversal is not desired. An undesired current feedback may occurduring plating, since the anode 315 which is set at ground potential isthe common element of both the wafer and the auxiliary circuits. A powersupply for the second auxiliary cathode operates in a similar manner.

With separate power supplies for both the auxiliary cathode and thesecond auxiliary cathode, the current applied to each of the cathodesmay be dynamically controlled. As a wafer is electroplated with metal,the sheet resistance decreases and the current non-uniformity may bereduced, making the auxiliary cathode unnecessary after a certainthickness of metal is achieved. The current supplied to the auxiliarycathode may be dynamically controlled to account for a reduction of thewafer's sheet resistance and the associated more uniform currentdistribution that normally results without the activation of theauxiliary electrode. In some embodiments, no current is supplied to theauxiliary cathode after the sheet resistance of the wafer drops to adefined level such as about 1 ohm per square or lower.

Good plating uniformity can be achieved with an appropriately designedHRVA for sheet resistances below about ½ ohm per square. Therefore, theEIRIS current can be essentially reduced to near zero below thisresistance value. More generally, if the plating process is started witha film having a sheet resistance of 100 ohm or more per square, forexample, the EIRIS current can be significantly reduced once the sheetresistance drops below about 20 ohm per square, more preferably or moreextensively when the resistance drops below 10 ohms per square. As notedabove, EIRIS current generally is not required at values below ½ ohm persquare. If the film being plated is copper, these sheet resistancesapproximately correspond to thicknesses less than 15 Å (100 ohm persquare), 50 Å (20 ohm per square), 100 Å (10 ohm per square) and 500 Å(0.5 ohm per square) of copper on the wafer

In yet further embodiments, depending on the current density applied tothe wafer, and therefore the rate of reduction of the wafer sheetresistance, no current or substantially no current is supplied to theauxiliary cathode after metal is plated onto the wafer for a setduration such as a period of about 20 seconds or less, or in otherembodiments for a period of about 5 to 6 seconds or less.

The current may be reduced to the auxiliary cathode and/or the secondauxiliary cathode simply by turning off the current supplied to eachcathode. The current may also be constant for a period of time and thendecrease monotonically, or alternatively decrease monotonically startingfrom when the electroplating process is initiated, or from a timeshortly thereafter. The current supplied to the second auxiliary cathodemay also be dynamically controlled in a manner that is driven by and insome manner follows (e.g. is made to match proportionately) theauxiliary cathode current. One or both of the auxiliary electrodecurrents can be tied or otherwise manipulated dynamically in aproportionate manner to the total wafer current. The current supplied tothe auxiliary (and/or second auxiliary cathode) may also be dynamicallycontrolled in a manner using an algorithm calculated from and/or timeshifted from (e.g. initiation delayed until reaching a threshold triggercurrent level or time since initiation of plating) the current flowingthrough the wafer, anode or auxiliary cathode. The current supplied tothe auxiliary cathode and the second auxiliary cathode does not need tobe decreased in the same manner or at the same rate. The currentsupplied to any of the wafer, anode, auxiliary and secondary electrodemay also be pulsed. The pulse can be simple current on/off pulses withsymmetric or different duration of on and off times. Alternatively,current forward and reverse pulses of different magnitudes and durationsmay be used. Control of the current supplied to one or more auxiliaryelectrodes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,693 issued to Uzoh etal., which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety and forall purposes.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary and secondary cathodes are tiedtogether with a resistor in the line of one of them after an in-line-teesplit, the line coming from a single power supply that is used toenergize both cathodes simultaneously. In other embodiments, separatepower supplies for both the auxiliary cathode and the second auxiliarycathode are employed and allow for different current levels at differenttimes for each of the cathodes. In a specific embodiment, when currentis initially supplied to the auxiliary cathode, the ratio of the currentsupplied to the auxiliary cathode and to the substrate is at least about1:2 (i.e. half of the total wafer current), and in a further specificembodiment is at least about 5:1 (i.e. five times the total wafercurrent). The current supplied to the second auxiliary cathode istypically about 10% of the current supplied to the wafer (i.e., 1:10).Current levels for the second auxiliary cathode are described in moredetail in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/291,356, which was previouslyincorporated by reference.

An example of one possible current-time profile for an electrodepositionprocess is described below. When the electrodeposition process is firststarted for a 300 mm wafer, a 5 A current may be supplied to the wafer,a 25 A current may be supplied to the auxiliary cathode, and a 0.5 Acurrent may be supplied to the second auxiliary cathode. After a 5second time period has passed, the current supplied to the auxiliarycathode is ramped down in a linear fashion from 25 amps to 0 A over anensuing 10 second time period, while keeping a constant 5 A current and0.5 A current supplied to the wafer and the second auxiliary cathode,respectively. After a total of 20 seconds have passed, the current tothe secondary cathode is turned off (set to zero). In this case, for thefirst 5 seconds, 30.5 Amps is supplied from the anode. From 5 to 15seconds, the current from the anode decreases from 30.5 to 5.5 Amps.After 20 seconds the current to the anode drops to 5 amps and only thecurrent from the anode to the wafer remains.

An alternative example of a possible electrodeposition process may bedescribed by the following parameters. At the initial stage of theelectrodeposition process for a 450 mm wafer, the sheet resistance ofthe substrate surface may exceed 3 ohms/sq. The auxiliary cathode andthe secondary auxiliary cathode are both turned on at a level of maximumcurrent. The auxiliary cathode may be supplied with a current ofapproximately 1 to 40 A, while the secondary auxiliary cathode may besupplied with a current of approximately 1 to 25 A. As the surface ofthe substrate becomes more conductive, for example when the sheetresistance of the substrate surface is less than 3 ohm/sq but greaterthan 0.5 ohm/sq, or alternatively after a period of about 6 seconds, theauxiliary cathode is turned off and the movable shield begins movingfrom its upper position to its lower position at a rate of approximately6 to 8 mm/s. Once the movable shield reaches its lower position, thesheet resistance of the surface of the substrate is much lower, forexample less than about 0.5 ohm/sq. At this point, the secondaryauxiliary cathode is turned off and the electroplating completes.

It is understood that the best profile for a given circumstance dependson numerous factors such as the initial wafer sheet resistance, theplated film specific resistivity, the plating bath conductivity, platingbath additive influences, flow of the plating bath, as well as otherfactors associated with the physical cell design, so no one current-timeprofile is suitable for all cases. The optimum current-time profiletherefore is best determined experimentally or estimated mathematically(i.e. using a computer model).

Controller 378 in conjunction with power supplies 380 and 370 allows forindependent control of current and potential provided to the wafer, theauxiliary cathode, and the second auxiliary cathode of theelectroplating apparatus, as well as the position of the movable shield.Thus, controller 378 is capable of controlling power supplies 380 and370 to generate the current profiles described above. The controller,however, generally is not capable of independently determining if one ofthe conditions described above (e.g., sheet resistance reaching a levelof 1 ohm per square or lower) has been met, though an estimate of thesheet resistance can be made based on a known total cumulative amount ofcharge passed to the wafer though lead 382 at any given time. Thus, thecontroller may be used in conjunction with sensors that may determinewhether a condition has been met. Alternatively, the controller maysimply be programmed with a separate current versus time profile foreach of the wafer, auxiliary cathode, and second auxiliary cathode. Thecontroller may also measure the charge (coulombs=integral ofamperage*time) supplied to the wafer, auxiliary cathode, and secondauxiliary cathode, and base the current-time profile on these data.

Controller 378 may be configured to control electrical power deliveredto the auxiliary cathode in a manner that produces a more uniformcurrent distribution from the anode after electroplating a definedamount of metal onto the substrate or after electroplating for a definedperiod of time. Controller 378 may also be configured to controlelectrical power delivered to a second auxiliary cathode adapted fordiverting a portion of ionic current from an edge region of thesubstrate. Furthermore, controller 378 may be configured to ramp downelectrical power delivered to the auxiliary cathode and the secondauxiliary cathode, each at different rates, as metal is deposited on thesubstrate. Additionally, controller 378 may be configured to supply nocurrent or substantially no current to the auxiliary cathode after thesheet resistance of the substrate surface reaches a first thresholdlevel, and to supply no current or substantially no current to thesecondary auxiliary cathode after the sheet resistance of the substratesurface reaches a second threshold level. The first threshold level forsheet resistance of the substrate surface may be between about 2 and 5ohms/sq. The second threshold level may be between about 0.3 and 1ohm/sq, for example 0.5 ohm/sq.

Controller 378 may also be configured to control the level of currentsupplied to the auxiliary cathode and to the substrate. In oneembodiment, the ratio of current supplied to the auxiliary cathode andthe substrate is at least about 1:2 when the current plating begins. Inanother embodiment, the ratio of current supplied to the auxiliarycathode and the substrate is at least about 5:1 when the current platingbegins.

Controller 378 may be further designed or configured to control theposition of the movable shield. The position of the movable shield maybe controlled based on a number of factors including, but not limitedto, the sheet resistance of the substrate surface, time (i.e. how longthe electrodeposition process has been going), and the amount of metaldeposited onto the substrate surface. These factors allow for dynamiccontrol of the shield position, resulting in more uniform depositionacross the wafer. In some implementations, the controller operates toensure that the movable shield begins the electrodeposition process atits upper position, then allows the movable shield to move to its lowerposition at a rate of about 6-8 mm/s after the sheet resistance of thesubstrate surface reaches a certain level. In one embodiment, thecontroller is configured to cause the shield to begin moving when thesheet resistance of the substrate surface reaches approximately 3ohm/sq. In other embodiments, the controller causes the shield to beginmoving after a defined period of time, for example after 6 seconds ofelectrodeposition. In yet other embodiments, the controller causes theshield to begin moving after a defined amount of metal is plated ontothe substrate. The controller may cause the movable shield to move at aconstant or non-constant rate, as described above.

Method

FIGS. 5 and 6A-6B show examples of flow diagrams illustrating processesfor plating a metal onto a wafer substrate. The process shown in FIG. 5may be performed on the electroplating apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1A,1B, and 2, for example. The process shown in FIG. 6A may be performed onthe electroplating apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 3A, for example. Theprocess shown in FIG. 6B may be performed on the electroplatingapparatus 300 shown in FIG. 3B, for example.

The process 500 shown in FIG. 5 begins at block 502. At block 502, asubstrate having a conductive seed and/or barrier layer disposed on itssurface is held in a substrate holder of an apparatus. The apparatus mayinclude a plating chamber and an anode chamber housing an anode with theplating chamber containing the anode chamber. The anode chamber mayinclude an insulating shield oriented between the anode and an ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element with an opening in a centralregion of the insulating shield.

At block 504, the surface of the substrate is immersed in an electrolytesolution and proximate to the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement positioned between the surface and the anode chamber. Theelectrolyte may be a plating solution for plating copper onto thesubstrate, for example. The ionically resistive ionically permeableelement may have a flat surface that is parallel to and separated fromthe surface of the substrate.

At block 506, current is supplied to the substrate to plate a metallayer onto the seed and/or barrier layer. At block 508, the anodechamber is moved from a first position to a second position, with thesecond position being located a distance further away from the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element than the first position. Movingthe anode chamber from the first position to the second position may aidin obtaining a uniform current density across the surface of thesubstrate as metal is plated onto the seed and/or barrier layer. Forexample, a sheet resistance of the substrate having a conductive seedand/or barrier may be about 50 Ohms/square to about 5 Ohms/square orabout 50 Ohms/square to 10 Ohms/square when the anode chamber is in thefirst position. As metal is plated onto the conductive seed and/orbarrier, the anode chamber may be moved in a linear manner with time tothe second position. In some implementations, the position of the anodechamber may be dynamically controlled during plating to account for areduction of the voltage decrease from the edge to the center of thesubstrate as metal is plated onto the substrate.

Some of the operations disclosed herein are triggered by or performedunder certain values of sheet resistance. In some embodiments, the sheetresistance of the conductive layer on the workpiece is measured in situduring the deposition process. In some embodiments, the sheet resistanceof the layer is predicted or calculated by modeling or empiricaltechniques. In the latter case, a controller or power supply may beappropriately configured to undertake method operations after a certaintime or number of coulombs passed or other independent parameterassociated with a particular change in sheet resistance.

In some implementations, the chamber may include an auxiliary cathodelocated between the anode and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element. Current may be supplied to the auxiliary cathode toshape the current distribution from the anode and divert a portion ofionic current from an edge region of the substrate.

Turning to FIG. 6A, the process 600 shown in FIG. 6A begins at block602. At block 602, a substrate having a conductive seed and/or barrierlayer disposed on its surface is held in a substrate holder of anapparatus. The apparatus may include a plating chamber and an anode. Theplating chamber may include a movable shield. The movable shield may beoriented between the anode and an ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element with an opening in a central region of the movableshield.

At block 604, the surface of the substrate is immersed in an electrolytesolution and proximate to the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement positioned between the surface and the anode chamber. Theelectrolyte may be a plating solution for plating copper onto thesubstrate, for example. The ionically resistive ionically permeableelement may have a flat surface that is parallel to and separated fromthe surface of the substrate.

At block 606, current is supplied to the substrate to plate a metallayer onto the seed and/or barrier layer. At block 608, the movableshield is moved from a first position to a second position, with thesecond position being located a distance further away from the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element than the first position. Movingthe movable shield from the first position to the second position mayaid in obtaining a uniform current density across the surface of thesubstrate as metal is plated onto the seed and/or barrier layer. Forexample, a sheet resistance of the substrate having a conductive seedand/or barrier may be about 50 Ohms/square to 5 Ohms/square or about 50Ohms/square to 10 Ohms/square when the movable shield is in the firstposition. As metal is plated onto the conductive seed and/or barrier,the movable shield may be moved in a linear manner with time to thesecond position. In some implementations, the position of the movableshield may be dynamically controlled during plating to account for areduction of the voltage decrease from the edge to the center of thesubstrate as metal is plated onto the substrate.

Next, looking to FIG. 6B, the process 650 begins at block 603. Themovable shield is positioned at a location closest to the workpiece. Themovable shield may be located about 5 millimeters to 15 millimetersbelow the cationic membrane, for example 10 millimeters. At block 605,electroplating begins while maximum currents are delivered to theauxiliary cathode and secondary auxiliary cathode. In certainimplementations, the maximum current applied to the auxiliary cathodemay be about 5 to 40 Amps, while the maximum current applied to thesecondary auxiliary cathode may be about 5 to 20 Amps.

At block 607, when the sheet resistance of the workpiece decreases to afirst threshold, the current to the auxiliary cathode begins to decreaseor is turned off. For example, in some implementations, the current tothe auxiliary cathode is turned off when the sheet resistance of thesubstrate surface reaches about 2 to 5 ohms/square, for example 3ohms/square. In certain cases, the auxiliary cathode is supplied withcurrent for approximately 6 seconds.

At block 609, the movable shield is moved away from the workpiece. Insome embodiments, operation 609 may occur before operation 607. Themovable shield may move away from the workpiece at a rate of about 5 to10 millimeters per second, for example 6 to 8 millimeters per second. Atblock 611, when the sheet resistance of the workpiece decreases to asecond threshold, the current to the secondary auxiliary cathode beginsto decrease or is turned off. For example, the current to the secondarycathode may begin to decrease or be turned off when the sheet resistanceof the substrate surface reaches 0.3 to 1 ohms/square.

At block 613, the current from the auxiliary cathode is turned off or ata minimal level, and the movable shield is positioned at a location mostdistant from the workpiece. In certain embodiments, the movable shieldreaches its final position before the current to the secondary auxiliarycathode decreases or is turned off. In other embodiments, the current tothe secondary auxiliary cathode begins to decrease or is turned offbefore the movable shield reaches its final position. In someimplementations, the shield reaches its final location when the sheetresistance of the substrate surface is about or below 0.5 ohm/sq. Thelocation of the movable shield in block 613 may be about 75 millimetersto 120 millimeters farther from the substrate than before the movableshield began moving in block 609. Finally, in block 615, theelectroplating process completes.

In some implementations, the movable shield may include two insulatingdisks. Each of the insulating disks may include an opening in a centralregion of each disk and further include a plurality of holes in eachdisk. When the movable shield is in the first position, electrolyte maynot be able to flow though the plurality of holes. As the movable shieldmoves from the first position to the second position, the orientation ofthe first and the second disk may change such that electrolyte is ableto flow though the plurality of holes. The first and the secondinsulating disks of a movable shield operating in this manner may aid inobtaining a uniform current density across the surface of the substrateas metal is plated onto the seed and/or barrier layer.

In some implementations, the chamber may include an auxiliary cathodelocated between the anode and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element. Current may be dynamically supplied to the auxiliarycathode to shape the current distribution from the anode. Someimplementations may further include a secondary auxiliary cathodelocated in substantially the same plane as the substrate. Current may bedynamically supplied to the secondary auxiliary substrate to divert aportion of ionic current from an edge region of the substrate.

Numerical Modeling

FIGS. 7-10 show examples of numerical simulations of the current densityversus the radial position on a wafer substrate for differentelectroplating chamber configurations. These numerical simulations wereperformed to quantify and verify the capability of the movable anodechamber disclosed herein relative to other hardware configurations. Afinite element model (using the commercial software FlexPDE™) was usedfor the simulations. In most cases, the model was used to predict thecapability of the plating cell to generate a uniform initial currentdistribution on a 50 Ohms/square seed layer on a 450 mm wafer substrate.

FIG. 7 shows the current density versus radial position on the wafersubstrate (i.e., 0 being the wafer substrate center and 225 being thewafer substrate edge) for a plating cell using a HRVA, an auxiliarycathode and a secondary auxiliary cathode. Auxiliary and secondaryauxiliary cathode configurations are further described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 12/481,503 and 12/606,030, both of which areherein incorporated by reference. Such a plating cell configuration maybe used in the processing of 300 mm wafer substrates, for example. FIG.7 shows that the current density near the wafer substrate edge is about600% higher than near the wafer substrate center, even while usingsettings for the auxiliary cathode and secondary auxiliary cathodeelements which shape the current distribution and reduce edge current.As a uniform current density may be needed across the wafer substrateduring initial plating when small features are to be filled by thecopper which is being electrodeposited, this plating cell configurationwould not be used in such processes. Such a plating cell configuration,however, can generate a uniform profile on thick copper films.

An example of a current distribution generated using the disclosedapparatus having a movable anode chamber, with the movable anode chamberbeing at its upper position, is shown in FIG. 8. For this model, theanode chamber opening was 210 mm. At the 105 mm radial position, aninsulating shield extended upward about 14 mm toward a HRVA plate. Fromthat position, the insulating shield extended outward to a positionabout 4 mm below the outer perimeter of the HRVA plate. The HRVA platewas 1.17% porous, had an outer opening diameter of 223.5 mm, and was 5mm below the wafer substrate.

Starting at the wafer substrate center, the initial current densityincreased due to the terminal effect across the inner 85 mm radius ofthe wafer substrate above the anode chamber. Current density out to aradial position about 170 mm from the wafer substrate center dropped,however, due to the shielding effect of the sloped insulating shield. Atradii from about 170 mm to 215 mm, the current density increased due tothe much stronger terminal effect at the outer portion of the wafersubstrate where a higher current flow across the seed layer is required.Beyond 215 mm, the secondary auxiliary cathode effectively reduced thecurrent density. The overall current distribution varied by about 25%,better than the 600% variation typical with existing hardware scaled to450 mm wafer substrate use (see FIG. 7). As noted above, parameters suchas the insulating shield opening diameter, the slope of the insulatingshield, the distance between the insulating shield and the HRVA plate,the distance between the HRVA plate and the wafer substrate, the HRVAplate percent open area or thickness, and the secondary auxiliarycathode strength can be used to adjust the current distribution whenplating begins on a thin resistive seed layer.

An example of a current distribution generated using anotherconfiguration of the disclosed apparatus having a movable anode chamber,with the movable anode chamber being at its upper position, is shown inFIG. 9. For this model, the spacing between the outer part of the HRVAplate and the outer part of the anode chamber was increased to 8 mm,which allowed for a membrane and solution entry point to be positionedbetween the HRVA plate and the anode chamber. A more complex shape ofthe insulating shield was also used. As shown in FIG. 9, the overallcurrent distribution varied by about 21%.

As described above, after copper is plated onto the seed layer and theterminal effect becomes less pronounced, the movable anode chamber maybe moved to a lower position to generate a uniform current distributionacross the face of the wafer substrate. FIG. 10 shows an example acurrent distribution generated using a model in which the anode chamberwas in a lower position (e.g., about 20 cm from its upper position) andthe copper layer on the wafer substrate was 0.4 micrometers thick. Asshown, the overall current distribution varied about varied by about 3%.

Thus, as these numerical simulations illustrate, a movable anode chambermay be used (in combination with other techniques) to effectivelymitigate the terminal effect. Further, after a metal is plated onto athin resistive seed layer, a movable anode chamber, positioned such thatcurrent flow to the wafer substrate edge is not impeded, may stillprovide a uniform current density across the face of a wafer substrate.

Further Implementations

The apparatus/methods described hereinabove also may be used inconjunction with lithographic patterning tools or processes, forexample, for the fabrication or manufacture of semiconductor devices,displays, LEDs, photovoltaic panels, and the like. Typically, though notnecessarily, such tools/processes will be used or conducted together ina common fabrication facility. Lithographic patterning of a filmtypically comprises some or all of the following steps, each stepenabled with a number of possible tools: (1) application of photoresiston a work piece, i.e., substrate, using a spin-on or spray-on tool; (2)curing of photoresist using a hot plate or furnace or UV curing tool;(3) exposing the photoresist to visible or UV or x-ray light with a toolsuch as a wafer stepper; (4) developing the photoresist so as toselectively remove photoresist and thereby pattern it using a tool suchas a wet bench; (5) transferring the photoresist pattern into anunderlying film or work piece by using a dry or plasma-assisted etchingtool; and (6) removing the photoresist using a tool such as an RF ormicrowave plasma resist stripper.

It is understood that the examples and implementations described hereinare for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications orchanges in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in theart. Although various details have been omitted for clarity's sake,various design alternatives may be implemented. Therefore, the presentexamples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, andthe disclosed implementations are not to be limited to the details givenherein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.Further it is understood that many features presented in thisapplication can be practiced separately as well as in any suitablecombination with each other, as will be understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: (a) a plating chamberconfigured to contain an electrolyte and an anode while electroplatingmetal onto a substrate; (b) a substrate holder configured to hold thesubstrate such that a plating face of the substrate is positioned at adistance from the anode during electroplating, the substrate holderhaving one or more electrical power contacts arranged to contact an edgeof the substrate and to provide electrical current to the substrateduring electroplating; (c) an ionically resistive ionically permeableelement positioned between the substrate and the anode, the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element having a flat surface that issubstantially parallel to and separated from the plating face of thesubstrate; (d) a shield positioned between the ionically resistiveionically permeable element and the anode, the shield being movable withrespect to the ionically resistive ionically permeable element to vary adistance between the shield and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element during electroplating, the shield including an openingin the central region of the shield; and (e) an auxiliary cathodelocated between the anode and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element, and peripherally oriented to shape the currentdistribution from the anode, while the auxiliary cathode is suppliedwith current during electroplating.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a cationic membrane dividing the plating chamber into ananode chamber and a catholyte chamber, wherein the catholyte chamberincludes a volume of the plating chamber not occupied by the anodechamber.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an area of the opening inthe shield is about 15% to 80% of an area of the plating face of thesubstrate.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radius of theopening in the shield is between about 90 to 160 millimeters.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the shield includes an outer perimeter andan inner perimeter, the inner perimeter of the shield defining theopening, and wherein a surface of the shield includes a slope such thatthe outer perimeter is closer to the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element than the inner perimeter.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the shield includes an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter,the inner perimeter of the shield defining the opening, and wherein theouter perimeter is about the same distance from the ionically resistiveionically permeable element as the inner perimeter.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the distance between the shield and the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element may be varied by about 75 to 120millimeters.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance betweenthe anode and the substrate is between about 150 to 250 millimeters. 9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary cathode is between about0.25 and 1 inch tall.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theauxiliary cathode is between about 20 to 40 millimeters below theionically resistive ionically permeable element.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the ionically resistive ionically permeable element hasan ionically resistive body with a plurality of perforations made in thebody such that the perforations do not form communicating channelswithin the body, wherein said perforations allow for transport of ionsthrough the element, and wherein substantially all of the perforationshave a principal dimension or a diameter of the opening on the surfaceof the element facing the surface of the substrate of no greater thanabout 5 millimeters.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element is a disk having between about6,000 to 12,000 perforations.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theionically resistive ionically permeable element has a porosity of about5% porous or less.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flatsurface of the ionically resistive ionically permeable element isseparated from the plating face of the substrate by a gap of about 1 to8 millimeters during electroplating.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: a control circuit designed or configured to controlthe distance between the shield and the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element in a manner that produces a uniform currentdistribution from the anode at the plating face of the substrate. 16.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a control circuit designedor configured to position the shield at a first distance from theionically resistive ionically permeable element when electroplating themetal begins, and to move the shield to a second distance from theionically resistive ionically permeable element as the metal iselectroplated onto the substrate, the first distance being less than thesecond distance.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliarycathode is a virtual auxiliary cathode having an associated physicalcathode housed in a cavity in the plating chamber, wherein the cavity isin ionic communication with the plating chamber.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: a control circuit designed or configured tomove the shield with time as the metal is electroplated onto thesubstrate.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a secondaryauxiliary cathode located in substantially the same plane as thesubstrate during electroplating, and adapted for diverting a portion ofionic current from an edge region of the substrate.
 20. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a feedback system allowing the currentsupplied to the auxiliary cathode to be controlled based on the sheetresistance of the substrate surface during electroplating.
 21. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a controller comprisingprogram instructions for conducting a process comprising the operationsof: (a) immersing the plating face of the substrate held in thesubstrate holder in the electrolyte, the substrate having a conductiveseed and/or barrier layer disposed on the plating face; (b) supplyingcurrent to the substrate to plate the metal onto the seed and/or barrierlayer; (c) supplying current to the auxiliary cathode to thereby shapethe current density from the anode; and (d) moving the shield from afirst position to a second position, the second position being located adistance further away from the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement than the first position.
 22. A system comprising the apparatusof claim 1 and a stepper.
 23. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thecationic membrane is positioned between the ionically resistiveionically permeable element and a position of the shield where theshield is closest to the ionically resistive ionically permeable element24. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cationic membrane is locatedabout 10 to 30 mm above the shield when the shield is at a positionclosest to the ionically resistive ionically permeable element.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 5, wherein the positions of the shield include anupper position, and wherein when the shield is in the upper position,the outer perimeter is about 20 to 40 millimeters from the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element and the inner perimeter is about30 to 50 millimeters from the ionically resistive ionically permeableelement.
 26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control circuit isfurther designed or configured to decrease or turn off the current tothe auxiliary cathode during electroplating.
 27. The apparatus of claim18, further comprising: a secondary auxiliary cathode located insubstantially the same plane as the substrate during electroplating, andadapted for diverting a portion of ionic current from an edge region ofthe substrate, wherein the control circuit is further designed orconfigured to decrease or turn off the current to the secondaryauxiliary cathode after: (a) the resistance of the substrate surfacereaches a second threshold resistance of 0.3-1 ohm/sq, (b) a secondthreshold amount of metal is electroplated onto the substrate, (c) asecond threshold period of time passes, or (d) the shield reaches asecond threshold position.
 28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein thecontrol circuit is designed or configured to supply current to theauxiliary cathode and the substrate at a ratio of at least about 4:1when current plating begins.
 29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein thecontrol circuit is further designed or configured to decrease or turnoff the current to the auxiliary cathode after: (a) the resistance ofthe substrate surface reaches a first threshold resistance of 2-5ohm/sq, (b) a first threshold amount of metal is electroplated onto thesubstrate, (c) a first threshold period of time passes, or (d) theshield reaches a first threshold position.
 30. A method comprising: (a)holding a substrate having a conductive seed and/or barrier layerdisposed on its surface in a substrate holder of an apparatus, theapparatus including a plating chamber, a shield, and an anode chamberhousing an anode, the plating chamber containing the anode chamber, theshield oriented between the anode and an ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element and being movable with respect to the ionicallyresistive ionically permeable element to vary a distance between theshield and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element duringelectroplating, with an opening in a central region of the shield; (b)immersing the surface of the substrate in an electrolyte solution andproximate the ionically resistive ionically permeable element positionedbetween the surface and the anode chamber, the ionically resistiveionically permeable element having a flat surface that is parallel toand separated from the surface of the substrate; (c) supplying currentto the substrate to plate a metal layer onto the seed and/or barrierlayer; (d) supplying current to an auxiliary cathode located between theanode and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element to therebyshape the current distribution from the anode; (e) moving the shieldfrom a first position to a second position, the second position beinglocated a distance further away from the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element than the first position.
 31. The method of claim 30,further comprising supplying current to a secondary auxiliary cathodelocated in substantially the same plane as the substrate and therebydiverting a portion of ionic current from an edge region of thesubstrate.
 32. The method of claim 30, further comprising dynamicallycontrolling the position of the shield during plating to account for areduction of a voltage decrease from an edge to a center of the surfaceof the substrate.
 33. The method of claim 30, wherein the platingchamber further includes a cationic membrane separating the platingchamber into an anolyte chamber and a catholyte chamber, wherein theanode resides in the anolyte chamber.
 34. The method of claim 30,wherein an area of the opening in the shield is about _(—)15% to 80% ofan area of the surface of the substrate.
 35. The method of claim 30,wherein a sheet resistance of the substrate having a conductive seedand/or barrier is about 50 Ohms per square to 5 Ohms per square when theshield is in the first position.
 36. The method of claim 30, wherein theshield moves from the first position to the second position in a periodof time.
 37. The method of claim 30, further comprising: applyingphotoresist to the substrate; exposing the photoresist to light;patterning the photoresist and transferring the pattern to thesubstrate; and selectively removing the photoresist from the substrate.38. The method of claim 30, wherein the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element has a plurality of non-communicating perforations andwherein ions in the electrolyte pass through the perforations.
 39. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the auxiliary cathode is a virtual auxiliarycathode having an associated physical cathode housed in a cavity in theplating chamber, wherein the cavity is in ionic communication with theplating chamber.
 40. The method of claim 30, further comprisingdynamically controlling the amount of current supplied to the auxiliarycathode during plating to account for a reduction of non-uniform currentdistribution at the working surface of the substrate.
 41. The method ofclaim 30, wherein when current is initially supplied to the auxiliarycathode in (d), the ratio of current supplied to the auxiliary cathodeand to the substrate is at least about 4:1.
 42. The method of claim 30,wherein a maximum current supplied to the auxiliary cathode duringelectroplating is between about 5 to 40 Amps.
 43. The method of claim31, wherein a maximum current supplied to the secondary auxiliarycathode during electroplating is between about 5 to 25 Amps.
 44. Themethod of claim 31, wherein the ratio of current supplied to theauxiliary cathode and the secondary auxiliary cathode duringelectroplating ranges between about 2:1 and 10:1.
 45. The method ofclaim 38, wherein substantially all perforations have a principaldimension or a diameter of the opening on the surface of the elementfacing the surface of the substrate of no greater than about 5millimeters.
 46. The method of claim 40, wherein no current orsubstantially no current is supplied to the auxiliary cathode after: (i)the sheet resistance of the substrate surface reaches about 2 to 5ohm/square or less, (ii) at least about 100 to 250 angstroms of metalare plated during (c) or (iii) metal is plated during (c) for a periodof about 2 to 6 seconds or less.
 47. A non-transitory computer-machinereadable medium comprising program instructions for control of anapparatus, the instructions comprising code for: (a) holding a substratehaving a conductive seed and/or barrier layer disposed on its surface ina substrate holder of an apparatus, the apparatus including a platingchamber, a shield, and an anode chamber housing an anode, the shieldoriented between the anode and an ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element with an opening in a central region of the shield; (b)immersing the surface of the substrate in an electrolyte solution andproximate the ionically resistive ionically permeable element positionedbetween the surface and the anode chamber, the ionically resistiveionically permeable element having a flat surface that is parallel toand separated from the surface of the substrate; (c) supplying currentto the substrate to plate a metal layer onto the seed and/or barrierlayer; (d) supplying current to an auxiliary cathode located between theanode and the ionically resistive ionically permeable element to therebyshape the current distribution from the anode; and (e) moving the shieldfrom a first position to a second position, the second position beinglocated a distance further away from the ionically resistive ionicallypermeable element than the first position.